1st Edition

Developmental and Life-course Criminological Theories

By Tara Renae McGee, Paul Mazerolle Copyright 2015

    The developmental and life-course perspective in criminology came to prominence during the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s a number of theories were developed to explain offending behavior over the life-course. This volume brings together theoretical statements, empirical tests and debates of these major theories within the developmental and life-course criminology perspective. In the first section of the book, original theoretical statements are provided and this is followed by a section which includes empirical tests of each of these theories conducted by researchers other than the original theorists. The final section of the book provides a summary of the major debates both within the developmental and life-course perspective and also between this perspective and others within criminology. This comprehensive volume provides an informative overview of the developmental and life-course perspective in criminology.

    Contents: Introduction. Part I Key Theoretical Papers: The social development model: an integrated approach to delinquency prevention, J. David Hawkins and Joseph G. Weis; A developmental perspective on antisocial behavior, G.R. Patterson, Barbara D. DeBaryshe and Elizabeth Ramsey; Life-course desisters? Trajectories of crime among delinquent boys followed to age 70, Robert J. Sampson and John H. Laub; Life-course-persistent versus adolescence-limited antisocial behavior, Terrie E. Moffitt; The Integrated Cognitive Antisocial Potential (ICAP) theory, David P. Farrington; Situational action theory, Per-Olof H. Wikström, Dietrich Oberwittler, Kyle Treiber and Beth Hardie. Part II Tests of Theory: Problem behavior in the middle school years: an assessment of the social development model, Christopher J. Sullivan and Paul Hirschfield; Two routes to delinquency: differences between early and late starters in the impact of parenting and deviant peers, Ronald L. Simons, Chyi-in Wu, Rand D. Conger and Frederick O. Lorenz; Residential change as a turning point in the life course of crime: desistance or temporary cessation?, David S. Kirk; Delinquent development in a sample of high-risk youth: shape, content, and predictors of delinquent trajectories from age 12 to 32, Victor van der Geest, Arjan Blokland and Catrien Bijleveld; Exploring long-term and short-term risk factors for serious delinquency, André M. van der Laan, Martine Blom and Edward R. Kleemans; Does the effect of self-control on adolescent offending vary by level of morality? A test in three countries, Robert Svensson, Lieven Pauwels and Frank M. Weerman. Part III Debates and Challenges: A life-course view of the development of crime, Robert J. Sampson and John H. Laub; Offender classifications and treatment effects in developmental criminology: a propensity/event consideration, Michael R. Gottfredson; Participation and frequency during criminal careers across the life span, Hanno Petras, Paul Nieuwbeerta and Alex R. Piquero; Generality, continuity, and change in offending, Raymond Paternoster, Charles W. Dean, Alex Piquero, Paul Mazerolle and Robert Brame; Marriage and desistance from crime in the Netherlands: do gender and socio-historical context matter?, Bianca E. Bersani, John H. Laub and Paul Nieuwbeerta; Long-term crime desistence and recidivism patterns - evidence from the Essex County convicted felon study, Megan C. Kurlychek, Shawn D. Bushway and Robert Brame. Name index.

    Biography

    Tara Renae McGee is Senior Lecturer in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Griffith University, Australia and Paul Mazerolle is Pro Vice Chancellor (Arts, Education and Law) at Griffith University, Australia.