Alcohol and Drugs, Delinquency and Crime: Looking Back to the Future

This research on juvenile delinquency and adult crime, cast in a perspective of the changing times and problems of the United States and a changing world, analyzes delinquent and criminal behavior as products of the social and structural organization of society. Along with changing offense and judicial action rates for the United States, the conclusions of this volume are based on a longitudinal birth Cohort study of 4079 persons born in 1942, 1949, and 1955, with continuous residence in the community from the age of 6 to early adulthood. Data on their police contacts, dispositions, and sanctions were obtained from the community's police department and other agencies. Self-report and interview data about delinquent and criminal behavior and background experiences were obtained from 889 members of the 1942 and 1949 Cohorts. The 1955 Cohort's data were updated to 1989, recoded and reanalyzed to determine the effect of involvement with alcohol and drugs on serious criminal career continuity.