Age and crime

- peak age for offending is between 15 and 18

- young people are over-represented in crime stats

- Young people most often give boredom and trying to impress others as reasons for breaking the law

- Most young people break the law at some point but its usually trivial acts

- Cohen argues most delinquents are motivated by status frustration...

• Young people get frustrated at their lack of independence, the peer group provides identity, status and excitement meaning they drift into delinquency
• Peer group pressure may give young people the encouragement and confidence to be delinquent when they would not be on their own

- all young people experience status frustration but young people from lower working classes experience status deprivation and frustration the most so they are most likely to develop…