Juvenile delinquency in Spain: An empirical analysis after the economic crisis of 2008

Abstract

Traditional patterns of juvenile delinquency may be changing as a consequence of the transformation from youth to adulthood. Thus, from the approach of the economic analysis of crime, this study aims to investigate how age could influence the crime rate in Spain after the financial crisis of 2008. To that end, and based on official quantitative data, this research applies a fixed-effects panel data model and studies a series of socioeconomic and demographic variables that, according to academic literature, impact on crime. The results are consistent with pre-existing studies in other countries: the youngest are more likely to commit crimes. In this way, it is concluded that in Spain the patterns of juvenile delinquency related to age seem not to be changing at the moment. Furthermore, with the exception of youth unemployment, the worsening of economic conditions after the crisis has not influenced crime, so the age structure better explains crime in Spain than the state of the economy.