Chronic offending in a population of adults diagnosed with ADHD and CD as children.
Item
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Title
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Chronic offending in a population of adults diagnosed with ADHD and CD as children.
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Identifier
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AAI3127864
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identifier
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3127864
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Creator
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Faller, Katherine Jean.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Thomas Litwack
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Date
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2004
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Sociology, Criminology and Penology | Psychology, Cognitive
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Abstract
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To understand, predict---and perhaps prevent---serious, chronic criminal offending in adulthood, research needs to focus on the pre-adolescent behavioral patterns that put children at risk for criminal behavior. The goal of this study is to determine whether there are childhood behavioral, cognitive, and intra-familial factors that distinguish chronic criminal adult offenders within a population of men who displayed both Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Conduct Problems as children. Research shows that children with these co-morbid problems seem to be at an elevated risk for future delinquency and crime, and it is for this reason that the comorbid population was chosen for examination. Childhood behavior disorders alone do not predict which individuals will become repeat offenders, however; and this study aims to determine which additional childhood factors, within such a population, lead to persistent criminality.;Data on this cohort were collected contemporaneously when the children were between six and twelve years of age. Members of the cohort who became serious, chronic adult offenders were compared, regarding their childhood data, with other members of the cohort to determine if discriminating childhood variables were identifiable. Results indicated that chronic criminality was correlated with elevated hyperactivity and antisocial behavior. There was also a slight negative relationship between verbal IQ and chronic criminal activity in one of the two cohorts. Intensive future study in this area is important if we are to understand why a small portion of the criminal population is consistently committing the majority of criminal acts. Financial resources can be better allocated if criminological research can identify a group of high-risk children whom, without intervention, are significantly at risk to become recidivists.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
