Long-term offenders have different brain structure, study says

Study found differences compared with those who did not offend or who only transgressed as adolescents

Parents should not worry about their teenagers' delinquent behaviour provided they were well behaved in their earlier childhood, according to researchers behind a study that suggests those who offend throughout their life showed antisocial behaviour from a young age and have a markedly different brain structure as adults.

According to figures from the Ministry of Justice, 24% of males in England and Wales aged 10-52 in 2006 had a conviction, compared with 6% of females. Previous work has shown that crime rises in adolescence and young adulthood but that most perpetrators go on to become law-abiding adults, with only a minority - under 10% of the general population - continuing to offend throughout their life.