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.

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.

scholarly journals Age-Graded Transitions and Turning Points in Polish Offenders’ Criminal Careers from the Standpoint of Life Course Theory

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (11) ◽  
pp. 6010
Author(s):  
Krzysztof Pękala ◽  
Andrzej Kacprzak ◽  
Piotr Chomczyński ◽  
Jakub Ratajczak ◽  
Michał Marczak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Turning Points ◽  
Criminal Activity ◽  
Juvenile Detention ◽  
Criminal Careers ◽  
Social Adaptation ◽  
Life Course Theory ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Individual Choices ◽  
First Time

Both juvenile and adult criminal careers show regularities in the origins of delinquency, the dynamics of the criminal pathway, and the turning points that lead to desistance/persistence in crime. Research shows that family, education, and friendship environments contribute significantly to the individual choices that create criminal biographies. Our aim was to apply core aspects of life course theory (LCT): trajectory, the aged-graded process, transitions, institutions, and ultimately how desistance/persistence factor into explaining the criminal careers of Polish offenders. The research is based on in-depth interviews (130) carried out with both offenders (90) and experts (40). The offenders were divided into two groups: 30 were juveniles, and 60 were adults of whom half were sentenced for the first time (30) and half were recidivists (30) located in correctional institutions or released. The experts group (40) includes psychologists, educators, social rehabilitators, and prison and juvenile detention personnel working with offenders. We used triangulation of researcher, data, and methodology. Our data revealed that similar biographical experiences characterized by an early socialization, family and friends-based circles laid the groundwork for their entry and continued participation in criminal activity. Juvenile and adult first-time sentenced offenders led criminal careers significantly different from those of recidivists, who faced problems with social adaptation caused by lack of family and institutional support.

Jekyll or Hyde? Examining the criminal careers of public violence offenders

2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 415-433 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom van Ham ◽  
Arjan A.J. Blokland ◽  
Henk B. Ferwerda ◽  
Theo A.H. Doreleijers ◽  
Otto M.J. Adang
Keyword(s):  
Small Group ◽  
Empirical Work ◽  
Criminal Careers ◽  
Criminal Career ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Intergroup Dynamics ◽  
Criminal Records ◽  
Career Trajectories ◽  
Police Data ◽  
Group Violence

Since the 1970s theoretical and empirical work on public violence has mainly focused on the context in which public violence takes place, assuming that public violence offenders are ordinary people acting in extraordinary circumstances. Recent studies however indicate that ‘hooligans’ share many characteristics with other violent offenders, which has (re)fuelled the notion that individual propensity is important in explaining public violence, and that public violence offenders generally fit the small group of serious and persistent offenders identified by Moffitt. Based on Dutch police data on 438 individuals involved in public violence, we examined the criminal careers of public violence offenders leading up to the date of registration as a public violence offender. Using group-based models, we distinguished three criminal career trajectories in our sample. Although we found many public violence offenders had no criminal records whatsoever, we also found a small group of public violence offenders who exhibited a high frequency of offending, displayed both solo and group violence, and acted violently across different settings. Our results leave us to take a middle ground in the context-propensity debate, because we argue that different categories of public violence offenders may exist whose behaviour is triggered by different processes. Incorporating the notion of different types of public violence offenders helps explain the seemingly contradictory findings of prior studies, and suggests new avenues for future research into the intra- and intergroup dynamics of public violence.

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 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>

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 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>

White-Collar Crime and Criminal Careers: Some Preliminary Findings

1990 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 342-355 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Weisburd ◽  
Ellen F. Chayet ◽  
Elin J. Waring
Keyword(s):  
Justice System ◽  
White Collar Crime ◽  
White Collar ◽  
Criminal Careers ◽  
Criminal Career ◽  
Repeat Offenders ◽  
Criminal Records ◽  
Common Assumption ◽  
White Collar Offenders ◽  
Research And Policy

The criminal career paradigm has become an increasingly important perspective in the study of street crimes, but it has generated little interest among scholars concerned with white-collar criminality. Behind this neglect lies a common assumption about white-collar criminals. Although street criminals are assumed highly likely to recidivate, white-collar offenders are thought to be “one-shot” criminals unlikely to be processed in the justice system after their initial brush with the law. This article examines the extent to which this image of white-collar criminals is reflected in the criminal records of defendants convicted under white-collar crime statutes. Findings show that white-collar criminals are often repeat offenders. The data also suggest that such offenders are likely to begin their “careers” later, and evidence lower frequency of offending than do street criminals. The article concludes by examining the implications of these findings for white-collar crime research and policy.

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.

Employee engagement and the work-family conflict relationship: The role of personal and organisational resources

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 118-138
Author(s):  
Okechukwu Ethelbert Amah
Keyword(s):  
Employee Engagement ◽  
Family Conflict ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Personal Resources ◽  
Conservation Of Resources ◽  
Work Family Conflict ◽  
The World ◽  
Work Family ◽  
Operational Issues

Organisations in Africa face constant challenges on account of internal operational issues, and the economic and political situation on the continent. Hence, organisations in Africa and indeed all over the world are expected to be continuously efficient and effective in the use of scarce resources in order to survive. Accordingly, studies conducted all over the world, including in Africa, have established that high employee engagement is beneficial to organisations, because engaged employees exhibit discretionary behaviour that achieves superior business results. However, some studies suggest that organisations are also faced with the undesirable situation in which highly engaged employees experience high levels of work-family conflict. This relationship has implications for both productivity and ethical aspects, and past empirical studies have been unable to suggest a way out. This study proposes that, on the basis of the conservation of resources model and job demand and resources model, organisational and personal resources could play a major role in resolving the dilemma. Hierarchical regression analysis confirmed that organisational resources, servant leadership and personal resources were able to provide a solution, so that individuals with high values of these resources experienced less work-family conflict. The study also discussed the practical implications of the results for HRM and sustainability HRM.

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