The First Delinquency Prevention Experiment: A Socio-Historical Review of the Origins of the Cambridge-Somerville Youth Study’s Research Design

This November, I had the honor and privilege of presenting a research paper I co-authored with Professor Brandon Welsh at the American Society of Criminology Annual Meeting. Our paper is titled, “The First Delinquency Prevention Experiment: A Socio-Historical Review of the Origins of the Cambridge-Somerville Youth Study’s Research Design”. Its focus is on the historical origins of the first randomized controlled experiment of a delinquency prevention program. The paper draws upon archival records, published and unpublished documentation of the study, and literature on experimental methods to examine the role that founder Richard Clarke Cabot’s medical training and advocacy for social work practice played in the design. It also assesses the study’s methodological rigor, and explores lessons for evaluations of delinquency prevention programs today.

I presented as part of panel on historical criminology with Dr. Welsh and two other researchers. Our panel was well received and the audience members responded with thought-provoking questions and comments. I was proud to be told by the panel what a great job I did on my presentation. I was able to attend several other presentations. The highlight was a session in memoriam of Travis Hirschi, a famous criminologist. It was run by Michael Gottfredson, Robert Sampson, and John Laub, who have authored many of my textbooks. Additionally, I attended a thought-provoking session on Human Trafficking, where I learned about evaluations of different prevention efforts, including educational and court programs.

Attending this conference opened my eyes to the vast opportunities in criminological research. I was able to meet others doing research similar to mine, learn about their work, and was exposed to research in areas I was unfamiliar with. My experience at this conference reaffirmed my interest in research, and I look forward to exploring other exciting topics, including human trafficking.

Conference Travel Fund Blog Post by Nicole Dill
Candidate for Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and Psychology ’18