Young children who commit crime: Epidemiology, developmental origins, risk factors, early interventions, and policy implications
Abstract
An early onset of delinquency prior to age 13 years increases the risk of later serious, violent, and chronic offending by a factor of 2–3. Also child delinquents, compared to juveniles who start offending at a later age, tend to have longer delinquent careers. This article summarizes the report of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's Study Group on Very Young Offenders, chaired by Rolf Loeber and David P. Farrington. The Study Group, consisting of 16 scholars and 23 coauthors, worked for 2 years on preparing a report, undertaking extensive secondary data analyses, and writing chapters in different speciality areas. The report consists of a state of the art review of the developmental background of child delinquents. The report also summarizes risk and protective factors in the individual, family, peer group, school, and neighborhood that affect that development. Lastly, the report renews relevant preventive and remedial interventions in the juvenile justice system, families, peer groups, schools, and neighborhoods, and makes a case for improvement in the integration of services for child delinquents. Policy recommendations are presented to improve methods of dealing with child delinquents by juvenile justice, child welfare, and mental health agencies.
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Intervention is never too early and never too late when discussing serious and violent juvenile offenders.
“Loeber and Farrington (2000), state that intervention is never too early and never too late when discussing serious and violent juvenile offenders.”
From Beyond the Classroom: Strengthening Pupil Engagement, Attendance and Belonging through Alternative Education and Community Partnerships (2025) · cites this paper as Loeber and Farrington (2000)
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- Authors
- LOEBER, R., & FARRINGTON, D. P.
- Affiliations
- University of Pittsburgh (US)
- University of Cambridge (GB)
- ORCID
- FARRINGTON, DAVID P.
- Venue
- Development and Psychopathology
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Published
- 2000-12
- Volume
- 12
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 737-762
- ISSN
- 0954-5794 (ISSN-L)
- 1469-2198
- OpenAlex
- W2100591106
- Cited by
- 926
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 35 · 2025: 21 · 2024: 20 · 2023: 48 · 2022: 21 · 2021: 25 · 2020: 71 · 2019: 34 · 2018: 36 · 2017: 23 · 2016: 43 · 2015: 39 · 2014: 46 · 2013: 56 · 2012: 56
- FWCI
- 59.96
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Development and Psychopathology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Crime Patterns and Interventions
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual Offending
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Keywords
- early-onset delinquency, juvenile delinquency, risk factors, protective factors, early intervention, delinquent careers, violent offending, chronic offending, juvenile justice policy, child welfare, mental health services, service integration, peer groups, family factors, neighborhood effects
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adolescent Behavior, Child, Community-Institutional Relations, Crime, Female, Humans, Juvenile Delinquency, Male, Peer Group, Public Policy, Risk Factors, Violence
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