NCJ Number
156404
Journal
Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health Volume: 3 Issue: 4 Dated: (1993) Pages: 492-523
Date Published
1993
Length
32 pages
Annotation
The Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development, a prospective longitudinal survey, involved 411 London males from the time they were 8 to the time they were 32 years old.
Abstract
Twenty-four of the subjects committed half of all recorded offenses involving the sample. Nearly all were sent to a penal institution at some point. When asked about the effects of penal treatment, most thought it had no effect or that it made them less likely to reoffend. Chronic offenders differed markedly from nonchronic offenders and from nonoffenders in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Generally, chronic offenders led more dysfunctional lives in adulthood. The most important childhood risk factors for chronic offending were troublesomeness, daring, a delinquent sibling, and a convicted parent. Most chronic offenders might have been predicted at age 10 on the basis of troublesome behavior or social background features. Vulnerable males who did not become convicted offenders tended to be socially isolated and to be living relatively unsuccessful lives at 32 years of age. The authors conclude that ameliorative treatment may be justified for almost all high-risk boys identifiable at age 10. Illustrative case histories are included. 34 references and 7 tables