There are profound consequences when developing youth do not get adequatesleep. In particular, sleep-deprived adolescents may be more likely to engage in offending
behavior. While there is a documented association between the number of hours youth
sleep and their likelihood of offending, it is unclear how youths’ subjective perceptions of
their own sleep contribute to offending. Further, scholars have yet to rigorously examine
the relation between sleep problems and offending in young adulthood, a developmental
stage in which sleep may play a critical role. Using a sample of 1,216 justice-involved male
youth from the Crossroads Study, this study uses longitudinal methods to examine the
relation between changes in subjective perceptions of sleep and changes in offending
behavior from ages 13 to 24. Results indicate that increases in sleep problems are
associated with increases in offending, particularly violent offending, regardless of youth
age. Implications for juvenile and young adult justice policies are discussed.