Public Care or Distorted Family Relationships: the Antecedents of Violent Crime

Abstract: 166 boys living in a deprived inner city area in Northern England, and born between 1944 and 1953 were followed up through local and national criminal records to an average age of 30. As adults, just over a quarter (26%) had a conviction for an offence against the person. Having a conviction for ‘violence’ was strongly associated with juvenile delinquency and conduct disorder. It was also found to be associated with certain deficiencies and distorted relationships in the natural home. Although boys who had been in public care for short periods contained a relatively high proportion of subjects later convicted of crimes against the person, the proportion among boys who were virtually brought up in care was much lower. There was also an inverse ratio between the length of time spent in care and the number of violent offences committed in adult life by boys committed to care for offences and being beyond control.