Published date:
By Ashling Golden
Car crime amongst young people has been a recurring feature in the Irish criminal justice system. Over the decades, its prominence, patterns and characteristics have changed. This article is based on a research study that aimed to explore the impact that social disadvantage, the lure of risk-taking, and masculine culture have on the involvement of young people in this activity; it was undertaken with a view to informing criminal justice policy responses. The research was completed as part of a Masters in Criminology programme. Drawing from interviews with eight young people aged 18–21 years, the article explores the reasons why young people get involved in car crime. It examines how structural inequalities affect life opportunities, social solidarity, and attitudes towards crime. It considers the impact of age on the ability to progress beyond a life of offending, taking relationships and employment into account. It also considers the impact that masculine culture has on enforcing male stereotypes of machismo and skill, and its effect on offending behaviour. These factors are considered against the backdrop of risk-taking and the opportunities to build a new identity, within a subculture that is anti-authority and applauds the courage of defiance. It then progresses to explore what supports the processes of desistance, considering the impact of the driving ban, its possible contribution towards a nothing-to-lose attitude and the opportunity to drive legally. It is envisaged that this paper will add to the debate that needs to be held on all the factors linked to car crime – danger and death, imprisonment and the criminalisation of young people, and the type of interventions used to divert young people away from these activities.