The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's (OJJDP) Program of Research on the Causes and Correlates of Delinquency indicates that truancy is a likely precursor to serious nonviolent and violent offenses among youth, and that the connection between truancy and delinquency seems to be particularly strong among males. These and other important findings also emerged from the work of OJJDP Study Group on Very Young Offenders, which was established in 1998 to examine the research literature pertaining to three categories of children:

• Serious child delinquents who have committed one or more of the following acts: homicide, aggravated assault, robbery, rape, or serious arson.

• Other child delinquents (excluding serious delinquents).

• Children showing persistent disruptive behavior (including truancy incorrigibility) who are at risk of offending.

In an OJJDP Child Delinquency bulletin on the findings of this Study Group, Rolf Loeber, David P. Farrington, and David Petechuk stated the following:

"Generations of studies in criminology show that the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. Children showing persistent disruptive behavior are likely to become child delinquents and, in turn, child delinquents are likely to become serious, violent, or chronic juvenile offenders."

In many jurisdictions, law enforcement officials have documented a connection between higher truancy rates and higher rates of daytime crimes, including burglary and vandalism. For example, before the TRDP began, police in Tacoma, Wash. (one of the TRDP sites) reported that 20 percent of the aggravated assaults that took place between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. on weekdays were committed by juveniles. In Contra Costa County, Calif. (another TRDP site), police reported that 60 percent of juvenile crime occurred between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. on weekdays.

It is clear that not all disruptive children -- including truants -- will become delinquents, and not all delinquents will become serious, violent, or chronic juvenile offenders. However, the majority of serious, violent, and chronic juvenile offenders did begin to display problem behaviors during childhood. Since truancy has been linked to delinquency, as well as to a range of additional risky behaviors that also correlate with delinquency, it is a critical issue to address as early and effectively as possible.

From:

Loeber, R., Farrington, D. P., & Petechuk, D. (May 2003). Child delinquency: Early intervention and prevention. Child Delinquency Bulletin Series. Washington, DC: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Available on-line at: http://www.ncjrs.gov/html/ojjdp/186162/contents.html.