Understanding Delinquency: A Longitudinal Multivariate Study of Developmental Patterns

This application is for the continuation of a major longitudinal research project. The project is studying developmental processes and life experiences that lead to involvement in delinquency and other problem behavior, with a goal of suggesting the nature and timing of prevention and intervention programs. The project also focuses on precursors to and outcomes of juvenile justice system involvement, with a focus on experiences of youth caught-up in the juvenile justice as they re-enter regular society. The application involves several objectives. (1) Continuation of collaborative research efforts with OJJDP and the other two projects of OJJDP's Program of Research on the Causes and Correlates of Delinquency. (2) Continuation of research specific to the Denver Youth Survey. (3) Conducting interviews with an additional sample of youth to examine over-time changes in delinquency and changes in risk and protective factors to ascertain if findings from prior years are stable and applicable to the current time. (4) Further enhancement of a remote access data center that provides public access to research data of the Denver project and acts as a prototype that could be adopted by the other sites of the Program of Research.
NCA/NCF