Abstract
30 homicidal delinquents were matched with 30 nonviolent delinquents on age, race, sex, and socioeconomic status. Both groups received physical, psychological, educational, psychiatric and social examinations. Data were evaluated using stepwise discriminant analysis. Previous research was replicated. Homicidal adolescents shared four symptoms: criminally violent families, gang participation, alcohol abuse, severe learning difficulties. In addition, when the sample and the original group of murderers were combined the contrast between groups became clearer. Juvenile murderers lived in criminally violent families learning aggression during early childhood. Cognitive and perceptual deficits associated with epilepsy and central nervous system (CNS) conditions led to difficulties in the school years. During adolescence, gang participation and alcohol abuse added to earlier risk factors.
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