NCJ Number
99854
Date Published
1985
Length
28 pages
Annotation
This executive summary reviews the methodology, findings, and implications of a 1958 Philadelphia birth-cohort study of delinquency that replicated Wolfgang's 1945 Philadelphia birth-cohort study.
Abstract
Comparison of the two studies permits the examination of delinquency prevalence, incidence, and patterns in two different times and sociocultural settings. The 1958 cohort was defined and the data collection procedures and sources were the same as for the 1945 cohort. Both cohorts consisted of youths born in the target year who had continued residence in Philadelphia at least from age 10 through age 17. Data on subjects' race, sex, birth date, residential history, and educational achievement were obtained from school records. Data from the Bureau of Census indicated socioeconomic status. Delinquency data, obtained from police records, consisted of all recorded police contacts. The 1958 cohort, composed of 13,160 males and 14,000 females, was larger than the 1945 cohort and reflected a more even racial distribution. Major findings are summarized in the areas of delinquency prevalence and incidence, delinquent subgroups, delinquency in relation to age, recidivism, and case dispositions. Findings from the two cohort studies are compared, and implications are drawn for juvenile justice policy and further research.