The Wolfgang cohort crime study is a famous criminology study that examined the criminal behavior of a cohort of 10,000 males who were born in Philadelphia in 1945. The study was conducted by Marvin Wolfgang and his colleagues, and was published in the book "Delinquency in a Birth Cohort" in 1972.
The study followed the cohort from birth until age 18, and collected data on their criminal behavior, including arrests and convictions. The study found that a small percentage of the cohort was responsible for a disproportionate amount of the crimes committed during the study period. Specifically, just 6% of the cohort accounted for more than half of the arrests.
The study also found that the patterns of offending were stable over time, with persistent offenders being more likely to continue committing crimes as they got older. The study identified several risk factors for criminal behavior, including poverty, low academic achievement, and family disruption.
The Wolfgang cohort crime study was groundbreaking in its use of longitudinal data to examine the development of criminal behavior, and has been influential in the field of criminology. The study provided evidence for the concept of "chronic offenders" who are responsible for a disproportionate amount of crime, and highlighted the importance of early intervention to prevent the onset of delinquent behavior.