Linking Juvenile and Adult Patterns of Criminal Activity in the Providence Cohort of the National Collaborative Perinatal Project

• NCJ Number: 196342
• Journal: Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 30 Issue: 4 Dated: July/August 2002 Pages: 259-272
• Author(s): Alex R. Piquero; Stephen L. Buka
• Editor(s): Kent B. Joscelyn
• Date Published: 2002
• Length: 14 pages
• Grant Number(s): Grant No. YR4-CCRP1
• Sponsoring Agency: National Science Foundation
• Corporate Author: National Consortium on Violence Research (NCOVR)
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article reports on data collected from a prospective cohort of individuals which was examined for patterns of prevalence, frequency, chronicity, and specialization-in-violence, as well as samples statified by race, sex, and race-sex categorizations, plus demographic and juvenile offending characteristics used to predict adult offender status.

Abstract

The source of the data used in this study was the Providence sample of the National Collaborative Perinatal Project, an interdisciplinary study of the pre- and perinatal antecedents of childhood mental, neurological, and physical abilities. The cohort consisted of members born from March 1960 to August 1966, to registered clinic patients, at a maternity hospital in Rhode Island. The study was conducted to explore how patterns of juvenile and adult criminal activity were related among a cohort of these participating individuals. Several dimensions of delinquent criminal careers were studied, including prevalence, frequency, chronicity, and specialization-in-violence, and how demographic and juvenile offending measures predicted adult offender status with special attention being given to how criminal career dimension varied across race, sex, and race-sex categorizations. Tables include chronicity analysis by age 18, specialization full sample, logistic regression model predicting adult offender status by sex, and logistic regression model predicting adult offender status by race-sex groups. Sections include prevalence, frequency, and violence by age 18; chronicity; offense skewness; specialization in violence; and predicting adult crime status. Chronic juvenile offending was found to be the best predictor of adult criminal status. The study results indicate that efforts targeting a reduction in frequency of offending, as opposed to efforts to prevent violence, are more likely to be effective. It is recommended that more study be given to the utility of sex- and/or race-specific interventions. Table, notes, references