The five chapters of Part I examine the epidemiology and development of child delinquency, with attention to its prevalence as measured by police and court statistics as well as self-reported delinquency. Other topics addressed in Part I are the later delinquency careers of early offenders, the epidemiology of problem behavior up to age 12, and preschool precursors to problem behavior. Part II contains five papers that examine risk factors and interventions for child delinquents. They review major risk factors and interventions in the domains of the individual, families, peer groups, and school and community settings. The four chapters of Part III focus on interventions for child delinquents in the areas of child welfare, mental health, and the juvenile justice systems. The two concluding chapters of Part IV summarize key conclusions of the preceding chapters. One conclusion is that there is no evidence of a new, more serious "breed" of violent child delinquent in America; and another is that a child delinquent is not necessarily destined to become a "super predator," although the more violent and chronic adolescent and young adult offenders are more likely to have begun their delinquent behavior early in life. Other conclusions are that much can be done to prevent child delinquency and the escalation of problem behavior into chronic criminal careers later in life; punitive interventions are not as cost-effective as those that target risk factors and the modification of problem behaviors; and a multifaceted, comprehensive approach to early preventive intervention is recommended. 1,380 references, chapter tables and figures, subject index, and appended discussions of specialized topics relevant to child offending