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Abstract
Most studies of adolescents who prematurely leave home focus on the causes of "running away." In this research I investigate the often unexplored aspect of the experiences associated with leaving home, or "living on the street." I first describe the demographic backgrounds and street experiences of "street youth" (N = 390) who, during the period from April, 1987 to March, 1988, had left home, had no permanent place of address, and were living in the downtown core of Toronto, Canada (population of two million). Second, I use sociological theories and previous empirical findings to test various hypotheses about the prevalence and incidence of illegal activities (self-reported) associated with living on the street: serious theft, drug-selling, and prostitution.
My findings about family conditions, length of time on the street, and the nature of street life suggest, that contrary to past research, the label of "runaway" is inappropriate for many adolescents who prematurely leave home (or who are "thrown out"); they are better defined as "street," or "homeless" youth.
My research also demonstrates that, for all three illegal activities (theft, drug-selling, and prostitution), a greater proportion of adolescents violate the law after they leave home (relative to the proportion of offenders at home) and offend on more than one occasion. The most powerful explanation for the three types of crime, is Sutherland's theory of differential association: The likelihood of street crime increases substantially with the number of deviant peers, peer offers of "criminal" assistance, and the adoption of non-normative beliefs. Various "street factors" are also salient; the probability of street crime increases with the length of time on the street and the frequency of going hungry, whereas it decreases with school enrollment and agency affiliation. Although the relationships between the aforementioned variables and the three types of criminal activity are similar, there are significant differences across the type of crime. Most important, the likelihood of prostitution is unique in that it is unrelated to the adoption of non-normative beliefs; yet, it increases with physical and sexual abuse at home.
