DOI: 10.3886/icpsr02588.v1
title: Frequency of Arrest of the Young, Chronic, Serious Offender Using Two Male Cohorts Paroled by the California Youth Authority, 1981-1982 and 1986-1987
title: Version 1

description: This study investigated the ways in which active offenders and their behavior patterns are related to individual characteristics. Data were collected to explore topics such as the nature of individual offending behavior, including offense mix and specialization, the frequency of offending, and the characterization of offender types. To address these issues, the post-release arrest patterns of two cohorts of male youths paroled by the California Youth Authority in 1981-1982 and 1986-1987 were examined. The project focused on modeling the frequency of recidivism and the correlates of arrest frequency. The frequency of arrest was measured during two periods: the first year following release and years two and three following release. Criminal justice variables in this collection provide information on county-level crime and clearance rates for violent and property crimes known to the police. Measures of parolees' criminal history include length of incarceration prior to current commitment, frequency of arrest, age at first arrest, and calculated criminal history scores. Personal and family characteristics include previous violent behavior, alcohol and drug abuse, family violence, neglect or abuse, degree of parental supervision, parental criminality, education, and school disciplinary problems. Demographic variables include age and race of the subjects.
description: Much attention has been devoted to developing appropriate analytical models of criminal careers. However, much less attention has been given to studies of the nature of offending behavior, especially among active offenders. Greater knowledge about the patterns of criminal behavior might lead to new insights about the appropriate specification of theoretical models. This study sought to address topics that had been largely ignored in previous research, such as the nature of individual offending behavior, including offense mix and specialization, the frequency of offending, and the characterization of offender types. These issues were addressed in this data collection by examining the post-release arrest patterns of two cohorts of young male parolees released from the California Youth Authority in 1981-1982 and 1986-1987. Specifically, the study focused on modeling the frequency of arrest and the correlates of arrest frequency. The study did not model the entire criminal career from onset to termination. Instead, the more limited objective was to model the arrest frequency over a relatively limited time interval.
description: Random samples were drawn from two cohorts -- those paroled between July 1, 1981, and June 30, 1982, and those paroled between July 1, 1986, and June 30, 1987. Data were collected on these subjects from the administrative records of the California Youth Authority and from police records. The dependent variables were the number of arrests accumulated during the first year following release and the number of arrests accumulated during the second and third years following release, correcting for time free. Additional information was collected from administrative records on the criminal histories of the subjects and their personal characteristics and those of their families. Supplemental data on county-level crime and clearance rates were taken from the Uniform Crime Reports.
description: Criminal justice variables in this collection provide information on county-level crime and clearance rates for violent and property crimes known to the police. Measures of parolees' criminal history include length of incarceration prior to current commitment, frequency of arrest, age at first arrest, and calculated criminal history scores. Personal and family characteristics include previous violent behavior, alcohol and drug abuse, family violence, neglect or abuse, degree of parental supervision, parental criminality, education, and school disciplinary problems. Demographic variables include age and race of the subjects.
description: Response Rates: Not applicable
description: Presence of Common Scales: None
description: Random sample
description: Datasets: DS1: Frequency of Arrest of the Young, Chronic, Serious Offender Using Two Male Cohorts Paroled by the California Youth Authority, 1981-1982 and 1986-1987
description: Male youths paroled from the California Youth Authority in 1981-1982 and 1986-1987.