Chapter 3 CJS 31-39

Basics of Developmental Theory

• Developmental Theories: A perspective on crime suggesting that as individuals progress through life stages, their experiences significantly shape their behavioral patterns and decision-making.

• Key Questions:

  • Why do some offenders persist in criminal careers while others desist as they mature?

  • What causes escalations in criminal activity versus turning points towards rehabilitation?

  • Are there distinct patterns among different types of offenders?

Criminal Careers

• Criminal Experiences: Individuals enter criminal behavior at different life stages; some early ("precocious") and some later ("late starters").

• Early Onset of Behavior:

  • Engaging in antisocial behavior during adolescence increases the likelihood of a sustained criminal career into adulthood.

  • Early rule breaking can weaken inhibitory controls and strengthen motivations for criminal acts.

  • Early-onset criminals display behaviors like truancy, cruelty, lying, and theft; often, they exhibit higher violence rates compared to peers.

• Developmental Consequences: Early delinquent acts foster negative familial relationships, weaken ties to conventional peers, and diminish engagement in lawful activities.

Categories of Developmental Theories

• Latent Trait Theory:

  • Posits that a master trait or inherent propensity for crime is present from early life and influences behavior continuously.

  • Higher risks of criminal conduct are linked to traits like low intelligence, impulsivity, and lack of social bonds.

  • General Theory of Crime: Developed by Gottfredson and Hirschi, connecting low self-control to criminal acts, suggesting that people lacking self-control are more inclined to reoffend when opportunities arise.

• Life Course Theory:

  • Sees criminality as dynamic and influenced by individual changes and social interactions across life stages.

  • Encourages understanding how factors such as family, peers, and relationships can reshape criminal behavior.

  • State Dependence: Suggests antisocial behaviors erode conforming social bonds and create incentives for crime, needing stability in life transitions to foster desistance.

• Age-Graded Theory:

  • Introduced by Robert Sampson and John Laub, focusing on significant life events ("turning points") that divert individuals from criminal paths.

  • Building social capital (positive relationships that support legitimate lifestyles) can help reduce criminal behavior, while unsuccessful encounters with relationships and employment can perpetuate crime.

• Trajectory Theory:

  • Proposes multiple pathways leading to criminality; not all offenders follow the same trajectory.

  • Differentiates between adolescent-limited offenders (temporary teenagers) and life-course persistent offenders, whose early criminal behavior leads to sustained issues throughout life.

Victimization Theories

• Victim Precipitation: Highlights that victims can influence their crime involvement through their behaviors, with two types:

  • Active Precipitation: When a victim's provocative actions instigate crime.

  • Passive Precipitation: When a victim's characteristics unintentionally attract crime.

• Lifestyle Theory: Positions that individual lifestyle choices can increase victimization risk by engaging in behaviors that expose them to criminals.

• Routine Activities Theory: Correlates crime incidence to everyday behaviors through the lens of three key components: motivated offenders, suitable targets, and lack of capable guardians.

  • Findings: Ensuring protective measures (capable guardians) can deter crime; lifestyle habits impact exposure to victimization.