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U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs National Institute of Justice National Institute of Justice Research i B e f Jeremy Travis, Director February 1997 Issues and Findings Project on Human Development in Discussed in this Brief: The key milestones reached by the Project Chicago Neighborhoods: A Research on Human Development in Chi- cago Neighborhoods, an unprec- edented longitudinal study Update supported by the National Institute of Justice and the John D. and by Felton J. Earls, Harvard School of Public Health, and Christy A. Visher, National Institute of Justice Catherine T. MacArthur Founda- tion. How do individual personalities, family A study of Chicago's Key issues: The Project's 8-year relationships, school environment, and neighborhoods research study will attempt to de- type of community interact to contribute termine how individual personali- to delinquency and criminal behavior? The Project's unique vision is to examine individuals and their communities-as ties, family relationships, school The Project on Human Development in well as individuals in their communi- environment, and type of commu- Chicago Neighborhoods is an unprec- nity interact to contribute to delin- ties-as both change over time. In 1990, edented longitudinal study that aims to quency and criminal behavior over the Project convened a planning work- answer this question by examining the time. In the Project's first 2 years, shop that resulted in a community design development of delinquency, criminal be- researchers gathered data using for data collection efforts. Three measures havior, and substance abuse from birth to the following measures: a commu- were developed: young adulthood, with a particular focus nity survey, social observation, a survey of neighborhood experts, on the effects of community and neigh- A community survey of randomly drawn and interviews with 7,000 children borhood contexts on individual behavior. adult household residents in all neighbor- and adolescents and their primary The National Institute of Justice, in part- hoods in the city limits of Chicago. caregivers as part of the first wave nership with the John D. and Catherine of a longitudinal cohort study. T. MacArthur Foundation, is supporting An observational study of a subsample Although the researchers are ob- this project to generate informed recom- of 80 neighborhoods from which the lon- serving areas throughout Chicago, mendations for crime prevention and in- gitudinal cohort study sample is being they have identified 80 neighbor- tervention strategies. obtained. hoods as the focus for the longitu- dinal cohort study. The Project is combining two studies into A survey of neighborhood experts— a single integrated design: a series of leaders in each community-from the 80 Preliminary findings: The com- munity survey drew responses data collection efforts at the community neighborhoods in the observational study. from more than 8,700 adult resi- level and a longitudinal cohort study. In With the help of two subcontractors, Abt dents of neighborhoods through- 1996, the Project on Human Develop- Associates and the National Opinion Re- out Chicago. Respondents ment in Chicago Neighborhoods reached expressed their opinions on topics several important milestones. This Re- search Center, the Project completed these measures in 1995 and 1996. such as perceived violence, neigh- search in Brief highlights the Project's borhood decline, stability and co- recent accomplishments and reviews the hesion, signs of disorder, and social status of the Project.¹ continued