ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates whether links between major life-course transitions and desistance from crime are attributable to changing relations with peers. The analysis thus constitutes a counterpoint to the theoretical position of Sampson and Laub. Using data from a national longitudinal data set, the investigation concentrates on one major life transition—marriage—and its role in encouraging desistance from crime. From birth, children are under the influence of the parents, who generally discourage offending. Despite the obvious strength of the relationship, the correlation between marital status and time spent with friends could be entirely spurious if marital status is merely a proxy for age. The longitudinal and cross-sectional evidence strongly support the thesis that the transition to marriage tends to disrupt or dissolve relations with friends, including delinquent friends. Persons who are married with children have significantly fewer delinquent friends than unmarried persons without children, but they closely resemble those who are married but have no children.
