Review Lifecourse

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Review Lifecourse

• Sampson and LaubTerrie Moffitts Theory

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Lifecourse Theory I

• Must explain why there is stability (continuity)
  in antisocial behavior
• Must explain childhood precursors to offending
  (childhood antisocial behavior)
• Severe (age inappropriate) temper tantrums
• Deviant/criminal behavior
• Must explain desistence, or change
• Antisocial children, but not adults
• Adults that age out

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Lifecourse Theory II

• Types of Lifecourse Theories (From Cullen and
  Agnew)
• Continuity Theories (TraitGH)
• Continuity and Change Theories (Sampson and Laub,
  Patterson)
• Continuity or Change Theories (Moffitt)

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Sampson and Laub

• Important/Popular book Crime in the Making
  Pathways and Turning Points Through Life
• First to fully outline lifecourse criminology
• Put forth a lifecourse theory
• Use Glueck data to test theory

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Pathways and Turning Points

• Pathways stability
• Turning Points opportunity for change

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Sampson and Laubs Age Graded Theory of Informal
Social Control

• In what sense is the theory age graded?
• What does Informal Social Control mean?

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Sampson and Laub
Childhood Adolescence Adulthood

• Context
• Poverty
• Neighborhood
• Others

• Parenting
• Supervision
• Discipline
• Social Bonds
• Family
• School
• Delinquent Peers

Delinquency
Adult Crime

• Social Bonds
• Marriage
• Good Job

Length of Incarceration

• Individual
• Differences
• Temperament
• Conduct disorder
• diagnosis

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Continuity

• Stability of Trajectory
• Individual differences (traits) possible
• Cumulative Continuity
• Delinquency/crime has effect on adult social
  bonds
• Delinquency/crime can lead to incarceration,
  which also has effect on adult social bonds
• These bonds, in turn, have effect on future crime

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Change

• Turning Points Adult Social Bonds
• Quality Marriage
• Quality Employment
• Why would these things reduce crime?
• SL they increase informal control (bind
  individuals to society, give them something to
  lose)
• Other explanations (spend less time with criminal
  friends, etc.)

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Sampson and Laub II

• New Book/Articles based on follow-up data from
  Gleuck sample
• Followed until age 70
• Similar to original theory
• Employment, marriage, military service
• More complex-why a turning point?
• Knife off past from the present/future
• Supervision/monitoring (control) but also
  opportunities for social support/growth
• Change to structure/routine activities
• Opportunity for identity transformation

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How do people desist?

• Desistence by Default
• No conscious decision to stop offending
• Rather, roles, structure, social context changes
• Human Agency
• Vague concept that implies people have some say
  in the matter.
• Not same as rational choice nor is it a trait
• Interaction land a good job but still must want
  to keep
• Theoretical Importance
• Lives do not unfold in predictable sequences
• Desistence more difficult to explain than onset
  or persistence

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Terrie Moffitt

• A Stability or Change Theory
• Argument
• There are 2 different kinds of offenders in the
  world
• These types can be characterized by their unique
  offending trajectories
• Failure of Mainstream Criminology?
• During adolescence, these two groups look rather
  similar

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Moffitts 2 Groups of Offenders

• LCPs
• Early Start, Stable over lifecourse, 5 of
  general population (small group)
• Therefore
• Why start so early? Why so stable?
• ALs
• Late starters, desist in adulthood, very
  prevalent in population
• Therefore.
• Why start so late? Why desist right away?

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Explaining the LCP trajectory

• Presence of Neuropsychological Deficits
• Where do they come from?
• Why do they matter?
• INTERACTING WITH
• Ineffective Parenting
• Monitoring, supervision, etc.
• This dual hazard puts them on bad pathhowever
  

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Cumulative Continuity for LCPs

• What in the environment is affected?
• Peer Rejection
• School Failure
• Parenting
• THEREFORE
• Cumulative continuity
• Contemporary continuity (still have N.P. Deficit,
  personality traits)

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Explaining the ALs

• Maturity Gap
• Knifing off Bonds as rewarding
• Mimic
• Why do ALs desist?
• However, some may exhibit continuity
• Snares as another example of cumulative
  continuity

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Key Moffitt Questions

• Why do we need 2 theories?
• How does she account for stability and change?
• Specific explanations of LCP and AL offending