Age, Period, Cohort and Offending (From Policy and Theory in Criminal Justice, P 51-75, 1990, Don M Gottfredson and Ronald V Clarke, eds. -- See NCJ-130506)

• NCJ Number: 130510
• Author(s): D P Farrington
• Date Published: 1990
• Length: 25 pages
• Sale Source: Avebury Publishing Co
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom

Annotation

This analysis of research on the relationship between age and crime concludes that the British government should establish measures to reduce socioeconomic deprivation, poor parenting, school failure, and deviant peer influences now to reduce crime and associated social problems in the future.

Abstract

Studies on age and crime began with Wilkins, who proposed the concept of delinquent generations. Although subsequent research has disproved Wilkins's hypothesis, more recent work showing that the prevalence of crime reaches a peak in the teenage years has generated policy discussions regarding crime prevention. One such study was the Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development, a longitudinal survey of 411 males from a working-class area of London who were interviewed 8 times from ages 8 through 32. Results showed that offending rates peaked at ages 16-18 and decreased to one-fourth of the peak level by age 32. Findings also showed that those who were more deviant at 18 were still relatively more deviant at age 32. Results indicated the need for efforts before the teenage years to prevent the onset of offending and after the teenage years to promote desistance. Tables, notes, and 57 references