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MEASURING DELINQUENCY AND PREDICTING LATER CRIMINAL CAREERS

NCJ Number
30145
Author(s)
L W SHANNON
Date Published
1973
Length
124 pages
Annotation
STUDY WHICH ATTEMPTED TO RELATE THE DELINQUENT CAREERS OF A SAMPLE OF JUVENILES FROM RACINE AND MADISON (WI) TO WHETHER OR NOT THEY COULD BE CHARACTERIZED AS ADULT CRIMINALS OR ADULT NON-CRIMINALS.
Abstract
ALL JUVENILES (AGED SIX THROUGH 17) HAD AT LEAST ONE CONTACT WITH THE POLICE. NUMBER OF POLICE CONTACTS, SOCIO ECONOMIC STATUS OF AREA OF JUVENILE RESIDENCE, AGE AT FIRST POLICE CONTACT, SPAN OF TIME IN WHICH JUVENILES HAD POLICE CONTACTS, THE DELINQUENCY AND CRIME RATES OF THE AREA OF JUVENILE RESIDENCY, AND COURT REFERRALS AS A RESULT OF POLICE CONTACTS WERE USED TO MEASURE THE CONTINUITY OF JUVENILE AND ADULT CRIMINAL CAREERS. STUDY FINDINGS REVEALED ONLY AN EXTREMELY SMALL PROPORTION OF SAMPLE JUVENILES IN THE CATEGORY OF ADULT CRIMINALS AFTER THE AGE OF 21. THE BULK OF THIS REPORT CONTAINS INFORMATION ON PRELIMINARY ACTIVITY CONDUCTED FOR THE STUDY - DATA ON THE JUVENILE DELINQUENCY RATES IN RACINE AND MADISON, AN EVALUATION STUDY OF JUVENILE DELINQUENCY MEASURES, AN EXAMINATION OF THE UTILITY OF SEVERAL VARIABLES CHARACTERISTIC OF THE JUVENILES IN THE SAMPLE IN PREDICTING FUTURE CRIMINAL CAREERS.