Developmental and Life-Course Theories

exam 4

what do developmental theories attempt to do

they attempt to make sense of the patterns of criminal behavior over time

what does research find about developmental theories

• criminal activity peaks in adolescence and gradual decreases in older age groups

• some people show consistent levels of criminal behavior and some people show variability

age-crime curve

there is an increase crime rate during adolescence which peaks during mid-late teen years, then gradually decreases through early adulthood

what are some critiques of the age-crime curve

• it is a misapplication of the age-crime distribution which advocates for longitudinal study methods

  • it shows “changes in opportunity” not criminal propensity

what is the criminal careers theoryq

focuses on explaining if/how/why certain factors affect criminal behavior; they are informed by early life-history and longitudinal work

what are the 3 factors of a criminal career

• onset - when did criminal activity begin

• continuity - how long did the criminal activity last

• change - desistance/termination of criminal behavior

what are the 5 dimensions of a criminal career

• prevalance

• frequency

• age of onset

• age of desistance

• criminal career length

what is prevalence

how many people are involved (by 30, 96% of people self-reported to committing some sort of crime; as compared to the 40% on conviction records)

what is frequency

the number of offenses committed by people actively involved (peak of crime at age 16)

age of onset

the age when 1st crime was committed (can range from 13-19; minor crimes peak at 13-14 while serious crimes peak at 17-19)

age of desistance

age when ones last crime is committed (true desistance)

criminal career length

(age of desistance) - (age of onset)

what is developmental taxonomy

• created by Moffitt who found a “dual taxonomy” of offending to explain what produces the age-crime curve

• Adolescent-limited offenders and life-course persistent offenders

characteristics of life-course persistent offenders

• conduct disorders are developed in infancy/early childhood

• the continuation of serious misconduct bleeds into adolescence and adulthood

• only a small % of youth

• partially explained through biological basis (neuropsychological and behavioral psychology disorders)

• only slightly influenced by peers

characteristics of adolescence-limited offenders

• changes in criminal activity over time

• vast majority of youth

• is caused from a maturity gap - no longer a child but is not afforded “adult status”

• heavily influenced by LCP peers who they see are more likely to achieve the wanted goals bc they are taking part in criminal behavior to do so

why do AL offenders slow their criminal behavior over time

• as they age, they gain more access to actual adult status and the things they wanted - like their own money, relationship, autonomy

• the motivation to get into adulthood decreases so there is less need to misbehave

• they also have more at stake (like actual money and jobs)

what is the support for developmental taxonomy

very strong support for AL and LCP groups`

who were Glueck and Glueck

they were a couple who wrote Unraveling Juvenile Delinquency which was about the life histories of 500 juvenile boys who were sent to reform school (their data was collected at 14,25, and 32)

Who were Rob Sampson and John Laub

they created the Age-grade theory of informal social control when Laub found old Glueck data in the Harvard basement and they continued/added to it

what was the age-graded theory of informal social control

• by sampson and laub

• heavily based off of Hirschi’s social control theory

  • increase social bonds leads to more socially controlled behavior which leads to conformity

  • increased social bonds with fam/peers/teachers leads to increase conformity

  • breaking of these bonds causes increased deviance

• emphasizes the role of family for relational control and instrumental control (downplays to role of peers)

what does informal social control explain

it helps explain changes in criminal behavior over someone’s life-course - through the idea of turning points

what are the turning points that increase social control

• a good marriage

• military service

• meaningful employment

• breaking these things or not finding them can lead to a decrease of social control and an increase in persistent crime

what was Warr’s impact

he emphasized the role of peers (building off of the age-graded theory of informal social control)

• transitions into adulthood mark dramatic decreases in the time spent with friends and the exposure to delinquent behavior

• this has an impact on age-crime curve