Trajectories in and out of crime: Identity development in young female offenders with limited delinquency

Both juvenile delinquency and identity formation have been described in relation to strive for autonomy and independence. These terms have also been theorized to be conceptually and developmentally intertwined.

During adolescence a rise, peak and gradual desistance from criminal behaviour occurs, where desistance in the latter years of adolescence have been connected to identity development and social maturity.

However, to date there are few studies investigating the connection between identity development and trajectories out of crime in detail, especially regarding young females.

The aim of the present project is thus to study how specific aspects of identity development in young females with limited delinquency relate to trajectories in and out of crime.

We apply a longitudinal approach by conducting identity status interviews and collecting narratives about trajectories in and out of crime at two time points, when the females start their sentence and one year after.

A mixed methods approach, where we combine existing coding manuals, thematic analysis, and statistical methods, will be used to analyse the data.

The results will contribute to the knowledge about an understudied group of offenders, i.e., females with limited delinquency, and how delinquency during adolescence is linked to identity development over time. This knowledge will also serve as a basis for interventions taken with young offenders.