Book Review: Farrington, D. P., & Welsh, B. C. (2007). Saving Children From a Life of Crime: Early Risk Factors and Effective Interventions. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. vii, 233 pp

• Published date: 01 September 2009
• Date: 01 September 2009
• DOI: 10.1177/0734016809332038
• Author: Traqina Q. Emeka
• Subject Matter: Articles

464 Criminal Justice Review

Farrington, D. P., & Welsh, B. C. (2007). Saving Children From a Life of Crime: Early Risk

Factors and Effective Interventions. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. vii, 233 pp.

DOI: 10.1177/0734016809332038

The issue of juvenile delinquency and issues surrounding this term has produced a

voluminous body of literature. However, much of the literature focuses more on panacea-

like solutions that may temporarily pacify the true underlying issues of delinquency. This

book offers long-term solutions and has strong research studies to support those solutions.

The authors focus on addressing risk factors that have been consistently identified as

precursors to delinquent behavior. Furthermore, protective factors are studied to identify

prevention and, in various cases, intervention strategies within various stages of the life

course. Specifically, the authors proposed a national effort to address delinquency

throug h est ablished resources, goals, outcome measures, and vision. The book elucidated

delinquency as the probable result of multiple risk factors that include a breakdown or lack

of protective factors in early life experiences. The apparent overriding theme of the book

is the importance of evidence-based prevention programming.

In the introduction chapter, the authors offer how their extensive research contributions

offer credence to their proposed interventions. The chapter suggests that intervention begun

early in delinquent offending would likely produce favorable results in reducing subse-

quent delinquency. Hence, early treatment and programming would yield higher success

than later treatment and programming. The chapter provides an excellent lesson on pro-

gram evaluation to support the quality techniques and methods used in this book. The book

is divided into three parts, which include early risk-protective factors, which encompasses

chapters 2, 3, 4, and 5; prevention in the early years, which includes chapters 6, 7, 8, and

9; and toward a national strategy, chapter 10.

Chapter 2 identifies risk factors and protective factors that have been associated with

juvenile offending. The authors note the common problems associated with using risk fac-

tors to predict future delinquency or criminality, most specifically the intercorrelation of

predictor variables. Also, the authors astutely provide a rationale for using both risk factors

and protective factors, not as polarized terms but in accord to explain juvenile offending.

Chapter 2 further introduces a list of highlighted longitudinal studies that have been shown

to be most plausible for tracking juvenile offending over time. Chapter 3 illustrates indi-

vidual factors related to juvenile offending. The authors suggest that such factors may

include personality and intelligence. The authors detail impulsivity as an important predictor of

juvenile offending. More specifically, the authors note impulsivity as a neuropsychological

dysfunction that would explain an array of delinquent offending. Chapter 4 examines fam-

ily factors to conclude that parental criminality is a strong predictor of juvenile offending.

The book offers several explanations to support the relationship between parental criminal-

ity and delinquency. The book provides detailed studies examining child-rearing practices

and family dynamics and their effects on delinquency. The book provides an excellent

methodological issues section on family factors. Chapter 5 covers socioeconomic, peer,

school, and community factors. The authors note that several studies support the influence

of socioeconomic status on delinquency. Also, the assumption that peers influence juvenile