Violent Criminal Behavior Over the Life Course: A Review of the Longitudinal and Comparative Research

1993 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 235-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
John H. Laub ◽  
Janet L. Lauritsen
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Comparative Research ◽  
Criminal Behavior ◽  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Developmental Trajectories ◽  
Violent Behavior ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Opportunity Structures ◽  
Violent Criminal ◽  
The Life Course

In this paper we review the existing longitudinal research on violent criminal behavior. Although interested in comparative research on this topic, we found that virtually all of the longitudinal studies comprised individuals from Western societies. The primary issue we examine concerns the extent to which there are universal patterns of violent behavior over the life course. Based on the available evidence, our best guess is that universal patterns do not exist It cannot be answered definitively, however, to what extent sociocultural variations in violence reflect differences in opportunity structures or differences in developmental trajectories and transitions over the life course. In order to address these issues, specific recommendations for future research, both within countries and cross-nationally, are presented and discussed.

Trajectories of Criminal Behavior Across the Life Course

2018 ◽  
pp. 96-125
Author(s):  
Julien Morizot
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Longitudinal Studies ◽  
Statistical Methods ◽  
Criminal Behavior ◽  
Developmental Trajectories ◽  
Developmental Trajectory ◽  
Criminal Career ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Individual Change ◽  
The Life Course

This chapter provides an overview of developmental-typological theories of criminal behavior best known by criminologists. These theories aim to explain heterogeneity in intra-individual change in criminal behavior across the life course by postulating developmental trajectories differing in terms of onset, variety and frequency of offending, criminal career duration, and period of desistance. The chapter outlines the most popular statistical methods for modeling developmental trajectories. It also summarizes the empirical findings from available developmental trajectory research. Overall, available longitudinal studies tend to support only some postulates of developmental-typological theories. This chapter thus proposes a number of directions for future research and provides some concluding insights.

Lost Childhoods

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michaela Soyer
Keyword(s):  
Domestic Violence ◽  
Social Policy ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Criminal Behavior ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Young Men ◽  
Prison System ◽  
Violent Criminal ◽  
Childhood Traumas ◽  
The Life Course

Lost Childhoods focuses on the life-course histories of thirty young men serving time in the adult prison system in Pennsylvania for crimes they committed when they were minors. The narratives of these young men, their friends, and relatives reveal the invisible yet deep-seated connection between the childhood traumas they suffered and the violent criminal behavior they committed during adolescence. By living through domestic violence, poverty, the crack epidemic, and other circumstances, these men were forced to grow up fast, while familial ties that should have sustained them were broken at each turn. The book connects large-scale social policy decisions and their effect on family dynamics, and it demonstrates the limits of punitive justice.

The Social Context and Resources of the Unmarried in Old Age

1986 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 81-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pat M. Keith
Keyword(s):  
Social Context ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Social Resources ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Role Transitions ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Life Course

A model of singleness in later life was developed to show how the social context may influence the personal and social resources of older, unmarried persons. The unmarried (especially the divorced) will be an increasing proportion of the aged population in the future, and they will require more services than will the married. Role transitions of the unmarried over the life course, finances, health, and social relationships of older singles are discussed with implications for practice and future research.

The Impact of Diversity on Career Transitions over the Life Course

2015 ◽  
pp. 151-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenell L. S. Wittmer ◽  
Cort W. Rudolph
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Career Transitions ◽  
Career Trajectories ◽  
Dynamic Perspective ◽  
Societal Changes ◽  
The Life Course ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Early Developmental ◽  
Potential Mobility

There are many aspects of diversity that impact career transitions over the life course. Whereas traditional conceptualizations of career stages emphasize a clear career path for the majority of people, modern career transitions are better characterized by both the multitude and variety of potential mobility paths. Modern career trajectories have also been linked to early developmental activities, which are similarly related to increases in diversity and other societal changes. This chapter discusses the impact of different forms of diversity on career transitions from both psychological/developmental and sociological life course perspectives, as well from a dynamic perspective where one's career transitions are dictated by lesser-planned socio-contextual and personal circumstances. The authors conclude this discussion by outlining some trends that are likely to influence career development in the future, including suggestions for future research.

Predictors of Alcohol Use Disorders Among Baby Boomers Across the Life Course

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (8) ◽  
pp. 880-888
Author(s):  
Adam Quinn ◽  
Orion Mowbray
Keyword(s):  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Baby Boomers ◽  
Alcohol Use Disorders ◽  
Life Course Perspective ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Older Adulthood ◽  
Use Patterns ◽  
The Life Course ◽  
Over Time

Research suggests that baby boomers entering older adulthood may possess unique alcohol use patterns over time. Using the life course perspective as a guiding framework, this empirical study sought to examine correlates of alcohol use disorders among baby boomers by examining representative data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health at two points in time, 1998 ( N = 6,213) and 2010 ( N = 5,880). Results from logistic regression analyses suggest that predictors of alcohol use disorders evolve over time as baby boomers continue to age. Risk factors for alcohol use disorders among baby boomers may include concurrent unprescribed pain reliever use, p < .01, while protective factors such as income, p < .01, and social supports, p = .01, may be of increased importance. Based on the findings of this study, practice implications and future research are discussed.

Contextual variability in biopsychosocial pathways to violent offending

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 249-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danielle M. Fenimore ◽  
Wesley G. Jennings
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Behavior ◽  
Violent Behavior ◽  
Empirical Support ◽  
Maladaptive Behavior ◽  
Sociocultural Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Violent Offending ◽  
Violent Criminal ◽  
Biopsychosocial Theory ◽  
Contextual Variability

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to use data from the Longitudinal Study of Violent Criminal Behavior in the USA to examine case configurations of violent behavior using a biopsychosocial framework. Specifically, the theory posits that arguably all behavior is the result of specific combinations of biopsychological (individual) and sociocultural (environmental) characteristics that are interacting within the individual. With regard to criminal and violent behavior, the theoretical assumption is that this maladaptive behavior is the result of a negative interaction between the biopsychological and sociocultural factors. Design/methodology/approach The study design consists of secondary data analysis. A conjunctive analysis of case configurations was performed using data from the Longitudinal Survey of Violent Criminal Behavior to formally explore the tenets of Cortés and Gatti’s (1972) biopsychosocial theory. Findings The results suggest that there are main effects for ego strength, family problems, family incohesiveness and underachievement as they relate to offending. A possible six-way interaction was also identified within the case configurations that provides empirical support for Cortés and Gatti’s (1972) biopsychosocial theory of deviance. Originality/value The present study contributes to the existing biopsychosocial literature by providing insight on the contextual variability in pathways to violent offending. Specifically, the evidence provided indicates that Cortés and Gatti’s (1972) biopsychosocial theory of deviance can be extended to comparing violent and non-violent offenders. Implications for policy and practice are also discussed.

scholarly journals U.S. Adolescent and Adult Women’s Experiences Accessing and Using Toilets in Schools, Workplaces, and Public Spaces: A Multi-Site Focus Group Study to Inform Future Research in Bladder Health

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (18) ◽  
pp. 3338 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deepa R. Camenga ◽  
Sonya S. Brady ◽  
Cecilia T. Hardacker ◽  
Beverly R. Williams ◽  
Jeni Hebert-Beirne ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Public Spaces ◽  
World Health ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Job Responsibilities ◽  
Focus Group Study ◽  
Research Consortium ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
The Life Course

The World Health Organization recognizes access to clean and safe toilets as crucial for public health. This study explored U.S. adolescent and adult cisgender women’s lived experiences accessing toilets in schools, workplaces, and public spaces. As part of the Prevention of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (PLUS) Research Consortium, we conducted 44 focus groups with female participants (n = 360; ages 11–93). Focus groups were stratified by age (11–14, 15–17, 18–25, 26–44, 45–64, 65+) and conducted across 7 geographically diverse U.S. sites from July 2017–April 2018. Using a transdisciplinary approach, we conducted conventional qualitative coding informed by our PLUS conceptual framework and used content analysis processes to identify salient themes. Across settings, toilet access was restricted by “gatekeepers” (i.e., individuals who control access to toilets). In contrast, self-restricting toilet use (deciding not to use the toilet despite biologic need to urinate) was based on internalized norms to prioritize school and job responsibilities over urination. In public spaces, self-restricting use was largely in response to lack of cleanliness. Across the life course, participants perceived gender disparities in the ability to easily access public toilets. Further research is needed to determine if and how these factors impact bladder health across the life course.

Cumulative Disadvantage in the American Criminal Justice System

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 291-319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan C. Kurlychek ◽  
Brian D. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Life Outcomes ◽  
Case Processing ◽  
Cumulative Disadvantage ◽  
The Life Course ◽  
Criminal Case Processing

Research on inequality in punishment has a long and storied history, yet the overwhelming focus has been on episodic disparity in isolated stages of criminal case processing (e.g., arrest, prosecution, or sentencing). Although theories of cumulative disadvantage exist in criminology, they are seldom adapted to account for treatment in the criminal justice system. We provide an overview of the concept of cumulative disadvantage in the life course and review evidence on the development of cumulative disadvantages across stages of the criminal justice system. In doing so, we appraise the empirical research on policing, prosecution, and the courts and consider how these largely separate bodies of scholarship are inherently connected. We conclude with a call for future research that focuses more explicitly on the ways that life-course disadvantages shape contact with the criminal justice system and how these processes work to perpetuate patterns of disadvantage within the system and in subsequent life outcomes.

scholarly journals LEISURE, LONGITUDINALLY: PARTNER DISAGREEMENTS ABOUT LEISURE DECREASE OVER THE LIFE COURSE

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S694-S694
Author(s):  
Jill Juris Naar ◽  
Shelbie Turner
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Data ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Leisure Activities ◽  
Extended Period ◽  
The United States ◽  
Great Utility ◽  
The Life Course ◽  
Age Range ◽  
Couple Interactions

Abstract Leisure is a major context within which older couples interact, and researchers have recently called for more longitudinal data analysis exploring how leisure-related couple interactions change over the life course. Several waves of the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study include a single-item question asking respondents how much they disagree with their spouse or partner about leisure activities. Given the longitudinal nature of MIDUS, the variable offers great utility to explore shifts in leisure-related couple interactions over the life course. Utilizing longitudinal data from Wave 1 (1995-1997), 2 (2004-2006), and 3 (2013-2015) of the MIDUS study, we explored how leisure-related partner disagreement changed with increased age (age range = 20-93). We first ran an unconditional multilevel model, which revealed that 68% of the variation in leisure-related spousal disagreement was attributed to within-person differences over time, justifying our analysis of longitudinal within-person change. An age-based growth curve model then revealed that leisure-related partner disagreements decreased linearly over the life course (Estimate = -0.01, SE = 0.001, p&lt;.0001). Men reported more leisure-related partner disagreements than women at age 20 (p = 0.002). But men’s reported disagreements decreased over the life course at a faster rate than did women’s reported disagreements (p = 0.03), so that from ages 70-93, men reported less disagreements than women. To our knowledge, this is the first longitudinal study to explore leisure-related couple disagreements over an extended period of time (20 years). The significance of our results sheds light on the value of longitudinal research on leisure.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document