ABSTRACT
This chapter emphasizes the central role of social bonds in the movement away from criminal and antisocial behavior patterns. It analyzes the criminal histories of 500 delinquent boys who were followed into adulthood by Glueck and Glueck. The Gluecks' prospective study of the formation and development of criminal careers was initiated in 1940 and also included a control group of 500 nondelinquent boys. Interview data were supplemented by field investigations that gathered information from the records of public and private agencies. These data verified and amplified the case materials collected during the interviews. There is a strong bivariate association in the Gluecks' data between desistance and the formation of strong marital bonds. This association may reflect the preventive effect of marriage or it may be an artifact of a selection process. The criminally active who eventually desist may represent individuals with a low level of "criminal propensity.".
