The development of persistent criminal offending in males

In this study, we evaluated a model of criminal offending that included the influences of family environment, cognitive ability, and early behavior pr oblems. Analyses were conducted on a large sample of juvenile offenders (N = 4,146) who were committed to the California Youth Authority (CYA) in 1964 and 1965, with a 20-year follow-up of arrest data. Results suggest that an adverse family environment was related to the timing and frequency of juve nile delinquency Cognitive ability, early involvement with alcohol, early a ge at first arrest, and the number of early arrests were all significant pr edictors of chronic criminal off-ending after ages 21, 25, and even after a ge 31. The timing of first arrest was found to be one of the most important variables for the prediction of chronic criminal activity.