Environmental conditions associated with young delinquency events: a temporal, meteorological, and contextual perspective

Abstract

Research on youth delinquency has been essential for gaining a deeper understanding of the etiology of delinquent behavior. Studies considering the environmental perspective have increased during the last decade, but relatively little attention has been paid to temporal patterns and weather conditions. The present study explores the seasonality of youth delinquency as well as the association between violent and non-violent youth offenses and temperature, rainfall, level of darkness, type of day, type of place, and companionship, using data gathered by the police along with data obtained from official weather agencies. To this end, we conducted ANOVA and contingency table analyses. Seasonality was found for non-violent crimes. Companionship, semi-public, and public places were all associated with a higher likelihood of non-violent crime, while darkness and public holidays raise the odds of violent crime to happen. No direct association was found between temperature and type of crime.