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Standing on the shoulders of pioneers in experimental criminology: the Cambridge-Somerville Youth Study at 85 years (1935–2020) and beyond: the 2021 Joan McCord Award Lecture

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Abstract

Objectives

The article reflects on some pioneers in experimental criminology, including those who contributed to the development and longevity of the Cambridge-Somerville Youth Study (CSYS), and reports on a new program of research on the CSYS, extending the study to 85 years (1935–2020) and beyond.

Methods

The key focal points are the CSYS, a randomized controlled trial of a delinquency prevention intervention, and the people who were central to its development, implementation, and follow-ups. A wide range of published sources and archival records are used.

Results

The idea of “standing on the shoulders of giants” or standing on the shoulders of pioneers in one field or another is a hallmark of science and scientific progress. This is at the heart of a new program of research on the CSYS, with four areas under investigation: (1) intervention effects over the full life-course; (2) development of criminal offending over the full life-course; (3) intergenerational effects (over three generations); and (4) historical understanding. Each area is discussed with reference to the wider context, new findings, and work underway or planned for the years ahead.

Conclusions

Joan McCord is one of our giants in experimental criminology. She revived the CSYS, made it into the pioneering longitudinal-experimental study that we know today, and set the stage for a new program of research on the study.

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Notes

  1. This information is part of the Papers of Joan McCord, which include mostly unpublished materials and are in possession of this author. The plan is for these papers to be professionally archived and made accessible to the scholarly community and public.

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Acknowledgements

This is a team award, and I wish to thank current members of the Cambridge-Somerville Youth Study research team (Jack McDevitt, Steven Zane, Alexis Yohros, Heather Paterson, and Jillian Reeves) and several other colleagues who continue to be wonderful collaborators and/or advisors on research on the study: Scott Podolsky, Richard Tremblay, and David Farrington. I am also extremely grateful to Kevin Conway for allowing me to reproduce key lessons he learned from Joan McCord.

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  1. School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Northeastern University, Churchill Hall, 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Brandon C. Welsh

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Correspondence to Brandon C. Welsh.

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Welsh, B.C. Standing on the shoulders of pioneers in experimental criminology: the Cambridge-Somerville Youth Study at 85 years (1935–2020) and beyond: the 2021 Joan McCord Award Lecture. J Exp Criminol 19, 261–277 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11292-021-09491-w

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