Developmental and Life Course Criminology

What does developmental criminology examine?

How criminal behaviour emerges changes and declines across the life span.

What does it focus on?

• Patterns of offending over time rather than isolated criminal acts.

• Offending behaviour is closely linked to age and developmental stage.

• Criminal pathways are probabilistic (change is always possible).

How is Youth offending understood?

• Socially patterned rather than randomly or purely individual.

• Early life experiences influence later behaviour but do not determine outcomes.

“Criminal behaviour….”

“Criminal behaviour must be understood as a process that unfolds over time” Oxford Handbook of Criminology

What is a life-course perspective?

• Life-course criminology focuses on how social transitions shape offending across childhood, adolescence and adulthood.

• Integrates psychological development with social and structural influences.

• “Life course criminology highlights the importance of transitions across the life span.” - Newburn.

Is youth crime socially patterned?

• Youth offending is unevenly distributed across social class, neighbourhoods, and educational outcomes.

• Inequality increases exposure to risk factors associated with crime.

• Early criminalisation often reflects broader social disadvantage rather than individual pathology.

What is the age-crime curve?

• The age-crime curve shows that offending peaks during adolescence and declines in early adulthood.

• This pattern has been observed consistently across time and cultures.

• “ The age-crime curve remains one of the most consistent patterns in criminological research.” - Oxford handbook of Criminology.

Why does the age-crime curve occur?

• Adolescence is associated with increased risk-taking, peer influence, and identity formation.

• Offending declines due to employment and family responsibilities.

• Maturation and social integration help explain desistance from crime.

Age-crime curve critique?

• Not all individuals follow the same offending trajectory across the life course.

• The curve describes general trends rather than predicting individual behaviour.