Age-80 Follow-Up of the Cambridge-Somerville Youth Study: Preliminary Findings on Offending and Death

• In Event: New Findings from the Cambridge-Somerville Youth Study

Abstract

Participants of the Cambridge-Somerville Youth Study (CSYS) are now in their middle to late 80s. Investigating and understanding the natural history of offending throughout the life-course is a key objective of the age-80 follow-up, and this is made possible because of the study’s prospective longitudinal design. Another key objective of this follow-up, and the focus of this paper, is to investigate the long-term effects of the delinquency prevention program on offending and death. The latter is made possible because of the study’s matched randomized controlled experimental design. One of the key questions is: Have the iatrogenic effects detected at the age-45 follow-up persisted, waned, or ceased? Comprehensive searches will be employed to collect the criminal records and death records (including cause of death) of those participants that Joan McCord was successful in locating and who were still alive at the age-45 follow-up (N=446). Analyses will be carried out using matched pairs.

Authors

• Brandon C. Welsh, Northeastern University / NSCR

• Gregory M. Zimmerman, Northeastern University

• Steven N. Zane, Northeastern University