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De Novo Advanced Adult‐Onset Offending: New Evidence from a Population of Federal Correctional Clients
Author(s) -
DeLisi Matt,
Tahja Katherine N.,
Drury Alan J.,
Elbert Michael J.,
Caropreso Daniel E.,
Heinrichs Timothy
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of forensic sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.715
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1556-4029
pISSN - 0022-1198
DOI - 10.1111/1556-4029.13545
Subject(s) - juvenile delinquency , psychology , psychiatry , logistic regression , population , injury prevention , poison control , suicide prevention , medicine , clinical psychology , medical emergency , environmental health
Adult antisocial behavior is almost always predated by delinquency during childhood or adolescence; however, there is also evidence of adult‐onset criminal offending. This study examined this controversial subgroup of offenders using self‐reported and official data from a total population of federal correctional clients selected from the Midwestern United States. Difference of means t ‐tests, chi‐square tests, and logistic regression models found that 11.7% of clients had an adult onset of offending and 2.7% of clients ( n = 23) had an onset occurring at age 60 years or older. This group—introduced as de novo advanced adult‐onset offenders —had high socioeconomic status, mixed evidence of adverse childhood experiences, and virtually no usage of drugs with the exception of alcohol. These offenders were primarily convicted of social security and white‐collar crimes and evinced remarkably low psychopathology and criminal risk. More research is needed to replicate the phenomenon of de novo advanced adult‐onset offending .