ABSTRACT
One of the most central and durable facts produced by the classic research of Shaw and McKay earlier in this century was that communities characterized by high rates of crime and delinquency are also plagued by high rates of infant mortality, low birthweight, tuberculosis, child abuse, and other detrimental aspects of child development. Indeed, Shaw and McKay argued that delinquency “is not an isolated phenomenon” (1969, 106) and went on to document the close association of delinquency rates with social problems that directly influence children. This empirical finding has remained remarkably stable over time. As but one recent example, Wallace and Wallace (1990) document that rates of violent death across communities in New York City are virtually coterminous with rates of low birthweight and infant mortality.
