NCJ Number
175537
Date Published
1997
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This paper reviews the literature to determine methods of preventing juvenile delinquency that target the development of children and families and that can be implemented between conception and ages 5-6.
Abstract
The stability of antisocial behavior from childhood to adulthood suggests that delinquency prevention efforts should be implemented as early in a child's life as possible. Teenage pregnancy, substance use in pregnancy, and perinatal complications are risk factors for a variety of undesirable outcomes, including low intelligence and attainment; hyperactivity and impulsivity; and child conduct problems, aggression, and delinquency. Thus, it is important to mount delinquency prevention programs that target these risk factors and to monitor the children into adolescence and adulthood, as well as to identify the long-term effects on delinquency and crime. Home visitation programs and parental instruction in child-rearing methods and child development are apparently effective. High impulsivity and low intelligence are significant risk factors in the first few years of life. Both of these factors may be linked to poor ability to manipulate abstract concepts, which may also be related to other individual factors, such as egocentricity and low empathy. Because the roots of crime lie primarily in individual and family factors, methods of reducing crime should address these factors. Cognitive behavioral interpersonal skills training to improve self-control, preschool intellectual enrichment programs to develop cognitive skills, and parent management training all seem to be effective methods of preventing offending. 81 references