Early Determinants of Delinquency and Violence

Prologue: More and more evidence seems to suggest that successful efforts to curb violent behavior should begin early in a child's life. It also may be possible to determine early on what predisposes a person to become violent. To that end, the Harvard School of Public Health has embarked on a ten-year study to “try to pinpoint what steers inner-city children toward crime ” according to The Wall Street Journal (5 June 1992). In this paper Stephen Buka and study director Felton Earls enumerate some of the factors that may be steps along early pathways toward delinquency and violence, focusing on children before they reach school age. They assert, “Our society has not yet committed itself to supporting families during this critical development period” in a child's life, during which many of a child's attitudes and habits begin to form. They believe that violent behavior “results from a complex interplay of multiple factors cascading over multiple points in the life course.” Understanding this interplay involves studying a moving picture rather than a snapshot, they believe. Proven early intervention strategies to reduce delinquency and violence exist and should be expanded nationwide. Buka received a doctorate in epidemiology from the Harvard School of Public Health and is an assistant professor in the Department of Maternal and Child Health of the Harvard School of Public Health. Earls is professor of human behavior and development at the Harvard School of Public Health and professor of child psychiatry at the Harvard Medical School. He received his medical degree from Howard University in Washington, D.C., with specialties in pediatrics and psychiatry. He was a member of the National Research Council Panel on the Understanding and Control of Violent Behavior. Abstract: The past several decades have resulted in an explosion of knowledge about the development of young children, knowledge that is often underused in the policy-making process. This paper reviews established risk factors for later delinquency and violence that are present prior to school age. The results suggest that established population-based efforts in education and health should be expanded, in anticipation of reducing violent behavior. More intensive intervention efforts that provide a continuum of services for children and families during a vulnerable development period also are warranted. New research directions also are described.