Date of Conferral
5-16-2025
Date of Award
May 2025
Degree
Ph.D.
School
Psychology
Advisor
Scott Gfeller
Abstract
The involvement of juveniles in homicide-related crimes has been a matter of growing public concern in the United States. Although prior research suggests that boys and girls who kill vary in important ways, there is limited research that has examined gender and age differences among juvenile homicide offender (JHO) characteristics and crime-related variables on a national level, with only eight previous national studies to date. Guided by the social control theory, the purpose of this non-experimental quantitative study was to explore gender and age differences among JHOs and other crime-related variables on a current national level. Archival data (N = 6,458) were collected from the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Supplementary Homicide Report database of all known juveniles arrested for homicide-related incidents between January 2010 and December 2020. The results of the chi-square analysis indicated statistically significant relationships between JHO gender and JHO age on all crime-related variables analyzed to include the victim–offender relationship, weapon choice, victim age, victim gender, and the use of accomplices. The findings of the current study not only fill a crucial gap in understanding the dynamics of juvenile homicide offenders but also provides actionable insights that can drive positive social change through informed policy, targeted interventions, and improved rehabilitation efforts.
Recommended Citation
JaBaay, Amanda Nichole-Wells, "Gender and Age Differences Among Juvenile Homicide Offenders" (2025). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 17814.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/17814
