NCJ Number
105431
Date Published
1987
Length
8 pages
Annotation
California arrest data from a cohort of males born in 1956 revealed that, between 1974 and 1985, more than one of three young adult males was arrested and one of six was arrested for an Index crime.
Abstract
Criminal histories of males born in 1956 whose first arrest as an adult in California occurred in 1973 or later were analyzed. The data showed that by the end of 1985, when all cohort members were 29, fully 35.4 percent had been arrested at least once. Among those individuals arrested at least once, 49.1 percent were arrested again by the time they were 29. Rates of recidivism for Index crime arrests were somewhat lower than for all arrests. Overrepresentation of blacks in arrest statistics, particularly for Index offenses, resulted largely from the greater prevalence of arrest within the black male population rather than repeat arrests. Analyses confirmed the existence of a subset of repeat offenders who contribute disproportionately to the arrest rate. Chronic arrestees, defined as individuals with five or more arrests, were 15 percent of all arrestees and accounted for 51.6 percent of the group's total arrests. When chronic arrestees are defined as those with three or more arrests, the group grows to 30.7 percent. Implications of these findings for the criminal justice system and future research are discussed. Tables, graphs, and 19 footnotes.