Data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) are used to examine the influence of employment characteristics and other age-appropriate investments on young adults' participation in both violent and property crime. The findings suggest that quality of employment has a stronger influence on individuals' involvement in both economic and noneconomic criminal behavior than do income, job stability, educational achievement, and a variety of background factors. The implications of these findings for theoretical development and public policy are discussed.
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