Childhood predictors of young adult male crime

Abstract

The study sample was drawn from the Chicago Longitudinal Study (CLS), an ongoing investigation of a panel of low-income minority children (93% Black) growing up in high-poverty neighborhoods in Chicago. The study sample included 733 males who were active by age 26. Adult criminal records were collected through administrative records and supplemented with selfreports. Outcome measures included incarceration, conviction, and felony conviction by age 26.Probit regression was used to analyze the data. Findings indicated that common childhood predictors were AFDC participation by child's age 3, negative home environment, maltreatment experience, trouble making behavior, and number of school moves. Unique predictors were mother unemployed by child's age 3 for incarceration or jail, four or more children in household by child's age 3 for felony conviction, and mother did not complete high school by child's age 3 and social competence for both incarceration or jail and felony conviction. Implications on crime prevention were discussed. Keywords male; crime; delinquency; predictors Childhood Predictors of Young Adult Male CrimeIt is well known that the consequences of crime are substantial and long lasting to individuals and to the society. For instance, the cost to the society includes criminal justice and social service expenditures, and the incarcerated offenders also result in lost tax revenues. Given the costs and consequences of crime and incarceration, effective crime prevention and intervention are imperative for the benefits of the society. Notwithstanding an awareness of urgency regarding reducing crime, the variability inherent within people who engage in criminal activities hinders the development of effective prevention programs. Identifying predictors of crime will help to develop effective preventive interventions.In 2007, there were over 1.5 million prisoners in state and federal correctional facilities. Although women population in prison has been growing rapidly in the past decade, overall men are much more likely to be incarcerated than women. In 2007, over 92% of the prisoners were male. At year end 2001, almost 9 times as many men as women had ever incarcerated in a State or Federal prison (Bonczar, 2003). Given the large gender gap in crime rates and the different processes of socialization by gender, the mechanisms and © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Please direct correspondence to: Suh-Ruu Ou, Institute of Child Development, 204 Child Development, 51 East River Road, Minneapolis, MN 55455 or sou@umn.edu. Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journ...

Risk Factors for School Dropout in a Sample of Juvenile Offenders

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Psychosocial correlates of recidivism in a sample of ex-prisoners: the role of oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder

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