scholarly journals Testing Two Theories of Criminal Careers: A Criminal Career Profile Approach

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Joanne Clare Cahill
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Criminal Careers ◽  
Criminal Career ◽  
Criminal Behaviour ◽  
Limited Evidence ◽  
Social Controls ◽  
Life Course Persistent ◽  
Career Research ◽  
Profile Approach

<p>Criminal career research has emerged as a field interested in determining the factors related to the onset, frequency, duration, maintenance, and desistance of criminal behaviour (Blumstein & Cohen, 1987; Blumstein, Cohen, & Farrington, 1988). Various theories have been developed to account for these components of the criminal career, and the present research aims to examine the desistance components of two such theories in a sample of high risk adult offenders. Looking first at Moffitt’s (1993) adolescencelimited/ life-course persistent perspective, and then at Laub and Sampson’s (1993; Sampson & Laub, 2005) theory of informal social controls, there is limited evidence that either frequency of conviction or criminal career seriousness in high risk adult offenders can be explained well by reference to either of these theories alone. Although components of each theory appear to have some support within this sample, it is important to note that the prediction of future seriousness appears to be particularly difficult. Implications of these findings are discussed, with particular reference to policy concerns and areas for additional research.</p>

scholarly journals Testing Two Theories of Criminal Careers: A Criminal Career Profile Approach

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Joanne Clare Cahill
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Criminal Careers ◽  
Criminal Career ◽  
Criminal Behaviour ◽  
Limited Evidence ◽  
Social Controls ◽  
Life Course Persistent ◽  
Career Research ◽  
Profile Approach

<p>Criminal career research has emerged as a field interested in determining the factors related to the onset, frequency, duration, maintenance, and desistance of criminal behaviour (Blumstein & Cohen, 1987; Blumstein, Cohen, & Farrington, 1988). Various theories have been developed to account for these components of the criminal career, and the present research aims to examine the desistance components of two such theories in a sample of high risk adult offenders. Looking first at Moffitt’s (1993) adolescencelimited/ life-course persistent perspective, and then at Laub and Sampson’s (1993; Sampson & Laub, 2005) theory of informal social controls, there is limited evidence that either frequency of conviction or criminal career seriousness in high risk adult offenders can be explained well by reference to either of these theories alone. Although components of each theory appear to have some support within this sample, it is important to note that the prediction of future seriousness appears to be particularly difficult. Implications of these findings are discussed, with particular reference to policy concerns and areas for additional research.</p>

scholarly journals Childhood risk and protective factors for early desisters, late desisters and life-course persistent offenders

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
pp. 1-33
Author(s):  
David P. Farrington
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Protective Factors ◽  
Late Onset ◽  
Risk And Protective Factors ◽  
Criminal Careers ◽  
Child Rearing ◽  
Life Course Persistent ◽  
School Risk Factors ◽  
Not At Risk ◽  
Childhood Factors

The aim of this article is to investigate the extent to which childhood risk and protective factors predict later persistence or desistance in criminal careers, as it has been argued that childhood factors are not predictive.  In the Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development, 411 London males have been followed up from age 8 to age 56.  This article investigates age 8-10 risk and protective factors for 37 life-course-persistent offenders (first offense up to age 20, last offense at age 40 or later), 38 late desisters (first offense up to age 20, last offense at age 21-39), 50 early desisters (first and last offenses up to age 20), 41 late onset offenders (first offense at age 21 or later), and 227 nonoffenders.  18 males were excluded from the analysis because they were not at risk of a recorded conviction from age 40 onwards (because of death or emigration).  The results showed that several childhood factors predicted persistence compared with desistance.  Individual and school risk factors (e.g. low popularity and low school attainment) were the most important predictors of whether an offender up to age 20 persisted after this age or desisted.  Family protective factors (e.g. good child-rearing and high parental interest in education) were most important in protecting offenders from becoming life-course-persistent offenders and encouraging desistance before age 40.

After Care

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barry Godfrey ◽  
Pam Cox ◽  
Heather Shore ◽  
Zoe Alker
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Social Exclusion ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Life Experiences ◽  
Small Minority ◽  
After Care ◽  
Social Controls ◽  
Life Course Persistent ◽  
Persistent Offending ◽  
Official Sources

Chapter 7 focuses on the experiences of the small minority who—to our knowledge—went on to become persistent offenders and often to experience lasting social exclusion. This group could be described as life course persistent offenders although it should be noted that there are many challenges in comparing ‘persistence’ across time and space. Significantly, this chapter asks whether the early life experiences of these ‘persisters’ (as documented in official sources) are markedly different from those of ‘desisters’. It finds little evidence setting the two groups apart. Thus it seems that early high risk profiles are not always accurate predictors of persistent offending; and that desistance tends to follow where individuals are supported by strong informal social controls to make wise choices, even later in life.

Co-offending

2018 ◽  
pp. 125-146
Author(s):  
Sarah B. van Mastrigt ◽  
Peter Carrington
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Criminal Careers ◽  
Criminal Career ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Offending Patterns ◽  
The Life Course

This chapter reviews existing theory and empirical evidence on changes in co-offending patterns over the life course, links these patterns to other key criminal career parameters, and highlights important areas for future research. In order to set the stage for the remainder of the chapter, the few theoretical insights that relate joint offending to the development of criminal careers are first reviewed. The chapter then focuses on the age–co-offending curve, outlining what is known about changes in both co-offending prevalence and form across the life course and considering implications for more general developmental and life-course discussions of age and offending. It next examines how co-offending is related to other features of the criminal career, including onset, specialization, seriousness, frequency, duration, persistence, and desistance. Finally, this chapter briefly outlines outstanding issues and next steps for advancing DLC theory and research on group crime.

scholarly journals Risk Factors of Early Adolescence in the Criminal Career of Polish Offenders in the Light of Life Course Theory

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (12) ◽  
pp. 6583
Author(s):  
Krzysztof Pękala ◽  
Andrzej Kacprzak ◽  
Anna Pękala-Wojciechowska ◽  
Piotr Chomczyński ◽  
Michał Olszewski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Juvenile Offenders ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Criminal Careers ◽  
Criminal Career ◽  
Life Course Theory ◽  
Criminal Records ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Work Family ◽  
Depth Interviews

Life course theory (LCT) diagnoses childhood and adolescent factors that determine an individual’s involvement in crime in the future. Farrington lists eight key correlates identified by empirical analyses of criminal careers. In this paper, we seek to discuss the inconsistencies with LCT that we observed in our three empirical studies of the criminal careers of Polish offenders. During 12 years of qualitative research, we conducted direct observations and in-depth interviews in juvenile correction institutions (21) and prisons (8) across the country. We gained access to incarcerated (102) and released (30) juvenile offenders, as well as to incarcerated (68) and released (28) adult offenders. We also conducted in-depth interviews (92) with experts working with young and adult offenders. We similarly accessed some offenders’ criminal records and psychological opinions. Our study revealed the strong presence of family and neighborhood influences on early criminality. Contrary to LCT assumptions, state-dependent institutions (military, work, family) were not strong enough determinants of delinquency. Polish offenders generally experience criminal onset later than LCT-oriented criminologists indicate. Based on our data, we also agree with the thesis that the onset of crime should be discussed as different age-related periods rather than just a general onset.

Acceleration, Deceleration, Escalation, and De-escalation

2018 ◽  
pp. 69-80
Author(s):  
Wesley G. Jennings ◽  
Bryanna Hahn Fox
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Criminal Careers ◽  
Criminal Career ◽  
Future Research

This chapter examines two patterns of change seen in individual offending behaviors at certain times and ages: acceleration or deceleration and escalation or de-escalation. In order to answer the questions regarding the age–crime curve and its applicability to the criminal careers of specific individuals, the prevalence of offending in the population and the frequency of offending within individual criminal careers must be examined through these patterns. Hence, the chapter begins with a brief review of the origin of the criminal career paradigm and a description of its various parameters. It then discusses both static and dynamic developmental and life-course theories of crime before providing a more in-depth discussion of acceleration/deceleration and escalation/de-escalation as it relates to a criminal career, respectively. Finally, this chapter concludes by offering directions for future research on these topics.

scholarly journals Life-Course Criminal Trajectories of Mafia Members

2019 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 111-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gian Maria Campedelli ◽  
Francesco Calderoni ◽  
Tommaso Comunale ◽  
Cecilia Meneghini
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Turning Point ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Criminal Careers ◽  
Criminal Career ◽  
Criminal Records ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Career Criminals ◽  
Early Starter

Through a novel data set comprising the criminal records of 11,138 convicted mafia offenders, we compute criminal career parameters and trajectories through group-based trajectory modeling. Mafia offenders report prolific and persistent careers (16.1 crimes over 16.5 years on average), with five distinct trajectories (low frequency, high frequency, early starter, moderate persistence, high persistence). While showing some similarities with general offenders, the trajectories of mafia offenders also exhibit significant differences, with several groups offending well into their middle and late adulthood, notwithstanding intense criminal justice sanctions. These patterns suggest that several mafia offenders are life-course persisters and career criminals and that the involvement in the mafias is a negative turning point extending the criminal careers beyond those observed in general offenders.

Childhood Risk Factors for Self-Reported Versus Official Life-Course-Persistent, Adolescence-Limited, and Late-Onset Offending

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 352-368 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgia Zara ◽  
David P. Farrington
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Late Onset ◽  
Criminal Career ◽  
Prevention And Intervention ◽  
Career Information ◽  
Self Reports ◽  
Life Course Persistent ◽  
Childhood Risk Factors ◽  
Official Records

There has been no prior research comparing risk factors for categories of convicted individuals (C-types: life-course-persistent; adolescence-limited; late-onset) compared with the corresponding categories of individuals who self-reported offending (SR-types). This article examines the extent to which these convicted and self-reported categories of individuals overlap, and explores childhood risk factors that predict categories of C-types and SR-types. Criminal career information about individuals involved in the Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development (CSDD) is used; 25 childhood factors were analyzed. C-types and SR-types were more problematic than both official and SR nonoffenders. Life-course persisters, adolescence-limited offenders, and nonoffenders overlapped in official records and self-reports, but late-onset offenders did not. C-types were significantly similar to SR-types in childhood risk factors; only a few differences were found. The differences between C-types and SR-types might be better conceptualized as quantitative rather than qualitative. Implications for prevention and intervention are discussed.

Is the Development of Offenders Related to Crime Scene Behaviors for Burglary? Including Situational Influences in Developmental and Life-Course Theories of Crime

2016 ◽  
Vol 60 (16) ◽  
pp. 1897-1927 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryanna Hahn Fox ◽  
David P. Farrington
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Career Paths ◽  
Criminal Behavior ◽  
Criminal Careers ◽  
Situational Factors ◽  
Criminal Career ◽  
Situational Influences ◽  
Situational Characteristics ◽  
Individual Variations ◽  
The Relationship

Developmental and life-course (DLC) theories of crime aim to identify the causes and correlates of offending over the life span, focusing on the within-individual variations that result in criminal and delinquent behavior. Although there are several notable theories in the field, few contain both developmental and situational factors related to offending, and none explain why individuals commit crimes in different ways. This study aims to address these issues by developing typologies of burglars based on developmental and situational characteristics to help identify the various criminal career paths of the offenders, and how these different criminal careers may relate to the commission of offenses. Results of this study indicate that there are five different criminal career paths among the sampled burglars and four different styles of committing the same offense, and that burglars with certain criminal career features tend to commit a specific style of burglary. Through this research, we aim to extend DLC theories to create a more practical and contextual explanation of the relationship between criminal careers and the commission of offenses, and increase the level of within-individual explained variance in criminal behavior.

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