What we have learned about early childhood and the development of delinquency

Abstract

There has been growing interest in identifying very young children at risk for early and persistent trajectories of antisocial behavior. This interest has been motivated by several studies on early-versus late-starting antisocial youth (Moffitt, 1993; Patterson, Capaldi, & Bank, 1991). Several researchers have documented that compared to late starters, who begin delinquent activity in mid-to late-adolescence, early starters show a more persistent and chronic trajectory of antisocial behavior extending from middle childhood to adulthood. © 2008 Springer-Verlag New York.