Much of the concern with juvenile delinquency has been based on the premise that delinquent behavior leads to adult crime. Police and court records of three cohorts comprised of 6,127 persons were analyzed. The most prevalent pattern of delinquent behavior was one of declining seriousness and discontinuation after the teenage period. With few exceptions, intervention by the agencies of social control did not play even a moderate role in decreasing the seriousness of adult controls. It was apparent that police contacts and more serious contacts had their highest incidence in the inner city. While removal from the community may appear to be a solution, the records show that most juveniles and adults will return and must be integrated into the community. (JAC)