Solomon Kobrin, a pioneer in the study of juvenile delinquency nd an emeritus professor of sociology, died of complications from heart disease Jan. 15 in Laguna Hills, Calif. He was 85.

Kobrin's research focused on the sociology of street gangs, the study of deviant behavior and methods to evaluate programs for crime control, delinquency prevention and juvenile justice. In 1977, he received the American Society of Criminology's Edwin H. Sutherland Award for his outstanding research achievements.

"Sol Kobrin was one of the true sages in American criminology," said Gilbert Geis, professor emeritus at the University of California, Irvine, and a former president of the American Society of Criminology. "He was kind, thoughtful and burningly intelligent. He always sought to reclaim and help young persons who were in trouble. His research, his dedication and his overall goodness will be sorely missed."

Kobrin was president of the Illinois Academy of Criminology (1958) and the California Association for Criminal Justice Research (1975).

He was a consultant to the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare during the 1970s and chaired the HEW Task Force on Youth Development and Delinquency Prevention Administration (1973). He was a consultant to the California Council on Criminal Justice (1972), served on an advisory board to evaluate addict-treatment centers for the U.S. Office of Economic Opportunity (1971), and served as a member of the President's Committee on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice (1955-56).

During the 1940s, Kobrin helped to organize an innovative project at the Illinois Institute for Juvenile Research. It worked to mobilize community residents to provide recreational and other constructive activities for youths in Chicago neighborhoods with high delinquency rates.

Malcolm W. Klein, director of the Social Science Research Institute at USC, described Kobrin as "one of the wisest men I have ever known, a genuine scholar and a hard-nosed researcher."

Kobrin joined the sociology faculty of the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences in 1967. He also worked as a senior research associate at USC's Social Science Research Institute. After he retired from teaching and received emeritus status in 1975, he continued his research activities at the institute up to the time of his death.

Before joining the USC faculty, Kobrin headed the Division of Social Systems Analysis at the Institute for Juvenile Research in Chicago.

Kobrin was the author of several influential books on delinquency prevention and crime control, including (with Leo Schuerman) Interaction between Neighborhood Change and Criminal Activity (1988); and (with Malcolm W. Klein) Community Treatment of Juvenile Offenders (1983). He also contributed numerous chapters to books and articles to scholarly journals.

Kobrin was born on Feb. 5, 1910, in Chicago. More than 30 years after earning his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Chicago, he attended USC on a fellowship from the National Institutes of Health and earned his Ph.D. in 1973.

He was a member of the American Sociological Association, the Society for the Study of Social Problems, the Pacific Sociological Association, the American Society of Criminology, the California Association for Criminal Justice Research and the Law and Society Association.

Kobrin is survived by his wife Charlotte, his daughter Janet, son Michael and grandson Daniel.

A memorial service will be held Sunday, Feb. 18, at 2 p.m., at the Shakespeare Club, 171 S. Grand Ave., Pasadena, Calif.