NCJ Number
215718
Journal
Journal of Quantitative Criminology Volume: 22 Issue: 3 Dated: September 2006 Pages: 193-214
Date Published
September 2006
Length
22 pages
Annotation
This longitudinal study of a cohort of African-American students examined whether various combinations of behavioral problems during childhood can predict criminal involvement during adulthood.
Abstract
The main finding was that the presence of aggression, even at moderate levels, was a key predictor of adult offending behavior for both genders regardless of the presence of other behaviors. Other results indicated that females who experienced more family discipline were less likely to be arrested for serious crimes in adulthood and that males from female-headed households in first grade were more likely to be arrested by the age of 32. Overall, however, no major differences were observed between males and females in either the combinations of risks or the continuity of behaviors over time. The cohort under analysis included 1,242 African-American children who began first grade in the Woodlawn community of Chicago in 1966. During first grade, their teachers were asked about classroom behavior and observations of their play. In 1975, 10 years after the cohort began first grade, both mothers and the adolescents were interviewed regarding family characteristics, such as mother’s education, welfare receipt, and family size. When the cohort was between the ages of 32 and 34, they were interviewed again and the Chicago Police and Federal Bureau of Investigation records were searched for arrest information. Three stages of analysis were employed. In the first stage, cluster analysis identified subgroups based on six ratings of early behavioral responses. In the second stage, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and contingency tables were used to assess the relationship between cluster membership and family characteristics. In the third stage, multivariate multinomial regression models were used to assess whether child behavior patterns and family characteristics were related to later arrests. Future research should focus on how adolescent factors such as peers and school factors mediate the relationship between child behavior patterns and adult offending. Tables, figure, footnotes, references