Abstract
J.C. Barnes is an assistant professor in the Criminology Program at The University of Texas at Dallas. His research seeks to understand how genetic and environmental factors combine to impact criminological phenomena. Recent works have attempted to reconcile behavioral genetic findings with theoretical developments in criminology. His work can be found in journals such as Aggressive Behavior, Criminology, Journal of Marriage and Family, and Physiology & Behavior. Kristin Golden is a PhD candidate in the College of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Florida State University. Her research interests include race/ethnicity and crime, fear of crime, and the relationship between adult social bonds and crime. Her dissertation examines potential predictors of the racial and ethnic typification of crime. Christina Mancini is an assistant professor at Florida Atlantic University's School of Criminology and Criminal Justice. She received her doctoral degree from Florida State University's College of Criminology and Criminal Justice in 2009. She has published in Criminology, Crime and Delinquency, Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, and Journal of Criminal Justice. She is currently involved in studies examining public opinion, race and perceptions about crime and justice, and the emergence and efficacy of sex offender policy. Brian B. Boutwell is an assistant professor in the College of Criminal Justice at Sam Houston State University. He received his PhD in 2010 from Florida State University and his research interests include human mate selection, evolutionary psychology, behavioral genetics, and life-course criminology. His published works have appeared in such journals as Criminology, Physiology & Behavior, Health Education and Behavior, Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, Journal of Criminal Justice, International Journal of Environmental Health Research, Criminal Justice and Behavior, Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice and Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health, among others. Kevin M. Beaver is an associate professor in the College of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Florida State University. He is the past recipient of the American Society of Criminology's Ruth Shan le Cavan Young Scholar Award and the National Institute of Justice's Graduate Research Fellowship. His research focusing on the genetic basis to behavioral phenotypes has been published in a range of journals including Addiction, Biological Psychiatry, Intelligence, Journal of Adolescent Health, Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Journal of Neural Transmission, among others. Brie Diamond is a doctoral student in the Criminology Program at The University of Texas at Dallas. Her research interests include theory testing, corrections, juvenile justice, and program evaluation. Recent works can be found in Journal of Criminal Justice, and American Journal of Criminal Justice. Correspondence to: J.C. Barnes, School of Economic, Political a Policy Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, 800 W. Campbell Rd., Richardson, TX 75080, USA. E-mail: jcbarnes@utdallas.edu
Some theories contend that marriage leads to desistance from crime. Indeed, many studies have reported married persons are less involved in crime. Research has developed under the testable assumption that marriage affects criminal behavior but that criminal involvement does not affect marital propensity (i.e. no selection effect). The current study tests this assumption in two ways. First, we examine a cross-lagged path model where prior marital status is allowed to influence future crime and prior crime is allowed to influence future marital status. Second, we analyze a reciprocal effects model where the contemporaneous influence of marriage on criminal activity is examined while also estimating the influence of criminal behavior on marriage. The findings reveal mixed support for the effect of marriage on crime. The marriage effect is observed in one of the cross-lagged models but not in the reciprocal effects models. Implications for both theory and policy are considered.