Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency 47(2)

Trajectories of Offending and Their Relation to Life Failure in Late Middle Age: Findings from the Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development
Alex R. Piquero, David P. Farrington, Daniel S. Nagin, and Terrie E. Moffitt

Researchers have hypothesized that over the life course, criminal offending varies with problems in other domains, including life failure and physical and mental health.To examine this issue, the authors use data from the Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development, a prospective longitudinal survey of 411 South London males first studied at age 8 in 1961. Developmental trajectories of criminal activity were defined on the basis of conviction records through age 40, and these were used to predict self-report measures of life failure at age 48 obtained during personal interviews. Results indicate that offending in the first 40 years of life relates to life failure, that childhood risk factors are also implicated in adult life outcomes, and that differences emerge in how offender trajectories predict life failure after controlling for individual and environmental risk factors. This is the first longitudinal investigation to show that chronic offending is associated with life failure into the late 40s, an age period not previously reported, and it also shows that different offending trajectories have different outcomes in late middle age.

The Intergenerational Transmission of Low Self-control
Brian B. Boutwell and Kevin M. Beaver

There is a vast line of literature showing that antisocial behaviors and personality traits are transmitted across generational lines. Given the ascendancy of Gottfredson and Hirschi’s general theory of crime, it is somewhat surprising that no research has examined whether levels of self-control are passed from parent to child. The authors examine this possibility by analyzing data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study. The results of the analysis revealed that maternal levels of self-control and paternal levels of self-control were predictive of the child’s levels of self-control. Supplemental analysis revealed that these effects were not mediated by key criminogenic risk factors. Moreover, there was also evidence indicating that people mate assortatively on a range of antisocial characteristics, including low self-control. Implications of the study are noted and discussed.

The Validity of Self-reported Prevalence, Frequency, and Timing of Arrest: An Evaluation of Data Collected Using a Life Event Calendar
Nancy A. Morris and Lee Ann Slocum

Heightened scholarly interest in stability and change in criminal behavior has increased the demand for longitudinal data. One method that may enhance the quality of retrospective self-reported data, especially reports of timing, is the life event calendar (LEC). Using a sample of incarcerated women, we assess the validity of LEC measures of self-reported prevalence, frequency and timing of arrests over a three-year period.We also examine the validity of self—reported frequency and timing of arrest data by respondent and arrest characteristics. Results suggest that the LEC elicits valid data on prevalence and frequency of arrests, while self-reported timing of arrests is recalled with less accuracy. Saliency appears more relevant for the accuracy of self-reported frequency, as compared to timing, and substance use has no effect on validity. We discuss future research using the LEC, especially with regard to improving the recall of the timing and sequencing of criminal events.

A Cost-Benefit Study of a Breaking the Cycle Program for Juveniles
Alexander J. Cowell, Pamela K. Lattimore, and Christopher P. Krebs

The authors present a cost-benefit analysis of a Juvenile Breaking the Cycle (JBTC) program in Oregon designed to provide juvenile justice system monitoring and coordinated treatment and services to youth who are assessed as at high risk for recidivism and substance use. Detailed cost analyses are presented for youth in the JBTC program and a comparison group. Multivariate models for all costs combined indicate that the costs per JBTC youth are much higher than for the comparison group 6 to 12 months after intake. Twelve to 18 months after intake, the difference in juvenile justice costs between the two groups is negligible. These findings suggest that decision makers should not expect any additional case management and treatment costs to be offset immediately by reductions in juvenile justice costs. However, evidence suggests that juvenile justice costs may eventually be at least equivalent to usual care.

Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, May 2010: Volume 47, Issue 2