Early predictors of male delinquency: A review

Reviews prediction studies on delinquency in order to identify etiological variables. The principal predictors of delinquency were the parents' family management and techniques (supervision and discipline), the child's conduct problems, parental criminality, and the child's poor academic performance. The best predictors of recidivism were reports of the child's stealing or lying, followed by the child's own problem behavior or prior delinquency. Data are presented to show the earliest age of the child at which these predictors have been measured. Results of the prediction data are used to demonstrate utility functions in which false positive and false negative errors are minimized. (89 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).