STUDIES BY L. PONGRATZ AND M. TRAULSEN SHOW THAT: CHILD CRIME HAS MORE THAN DOUBLED SINCE 1955, WITH THE GREATEST INCREASES IN PROPERTY OFFENSES, THEFT, AND ARSON, AS A RESULT OF STRICTER LAW ENFORCEMENT AND LOOSER SOCIAL CONTROLS; MOST DELINQUENT CHILDREN ARE ONLY REPORTED ONCE BETWEEN THE AGES OF 6 AND 14 YEARS; CRIME RATES BEGIN TO RISE AFTER THE AGE OF 10; MOST CHILDREN ARE NOT CONSCIOUS (35 PERCENT) OR ARE ONLY PARTIALLY CONSCIOUS (43 PERCENT) OF THE CRIMINAL NATURE OF THEIR BEHAVIOR; AND UNLIKE ADULT DELINQUENCY, CHILD DELINQUENCY IS NOT MORE FREQUENT IN THE LOWER SOCIAL CLASSES, ALTHOUGH REPEATING OFFENDERS DO TEND TO COME FROM LARGE, UNEDUCATED, BROKEN FAMILIES AND TO HAVE BECOME KNOWN TO THE POLICE AT AN EARLY AGE. ACCORDING TO PONCRATZ, A RELATIONSHIP EXISTS BETWEEN CRIME FREQUENCY AND LATER CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES BUT NOT BETWEEN THE AGE AT THE TIME OF THE FIRST OFFENSE OR THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE FIRST CRIME AND LATER ACTIVITIES. TRAULSEN FINDS THAT ADULT OFFENDERS HAVE COMMITTED MORE FREQUENT AND MORE VARIED CHILDHOOD OFFENSES THAN ADULT NON-OFFENDERS AND HAD A LONGER CHILDHOOD DELINQUENT PHASE THAN NON-OFFENDERS, BUT THAT NO CERTAIN PROGNOSIS CAN BE MADE FOR INDIVIDUALS AT RISK FROM THESE CRITERIA. THE POSSIBILITY EXISTS THAT INTERVENTION OF POLICE AND JUVENILE POLICE PENALIZE AND STIGMATIZE CHILD OFFENDERS, SO THAT THEY ARE GRADUALLY SHUNTED INTO A LIFE OF CRIME. IT IS EMPHASIZED THAT TO IDENTIFY PERSONS AT RISK, MORE DIFFERENTIATED STUDIES MUST DETERMINE WHAT TYPES OF DELINQUENT BEHAVIOR ARE AN EARLY SIGN OF DEVIANCE. A BIBLIOGRAPHY IS SUPPLIED. --IN GERMAN. (KMD)