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Criminal Development Theories Paper

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Developmental or life-course theories emphasize individual development using different disciplines and different levels of analysis to understand criminality throughout an offender’s life (Bohm & Vogel, 2011). Furthermore, developmental theories attempt to isolate and explain factors that influence peaks of criminal activity, recidivism, and antisocial behavior at a specific point in an individual’s life (Bohm & Vogel, 2011). For instance, factors that affect criminality during childhood development, adolescent development, and adulthood may be relevant only during that particular developmental stage and irrelevant during others. Since we now understand the general premise behind developmental or life-course theories let us further examine …show more content…

According to developmental theorists, the first stage of criminal development is onset, which refers to an individual first time they participate in crime or delinquency (Bohm & Vogel, 2011). Additionally, developmental theorists contend childhood behaviors such as bullying, lying, and cheating are precursors to serious criminal activity (Bohm & Vogel, 2011). Next, continuity refers to the stability of an individual’s life path whether it is criminal or not (Bohm & Vogel, 2011). Developmental theorists assert particular personality and biological traits of individuals contribute to a continuous, high rate of recidivism throughout their lives (Bohm & Vogel, 2011). The third stage of development is classified by change or turning points in which an individual’s pathway goes in a different direction (Bohm & Vogel, 2011). Consequently, during this stage the age-crime curve was developed to explain peaks in adolescent criminality and crime reduction in the mid-twenties (Bohm & Vogel, 2011). Lastly, the developmental theorists define desistance as the process through which an offender stops offending (Bohm & Vogel, 2011). Furthermore, the implementation of positive social controls, structured routine activities, and purposeful human agency are critical factors of desistance during adulthood (Bohm & Vogel,

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Developmental characteristics are usually noticeable in early age. “It describes experiences that are common factors in the background of offenders, such as school failure, abuse of alcohol, or childhood victimization”. They are also introduced to some risk factors; some might be exposed to less and some more than others. They could have gone through anti – social behavior. Major factors that played a huge role in offender’s life were social risk factors.

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In her essay, “The Irrationality of Life Sentences”, Jennifer Lackey shares that there are biological factors that contribute to a child’s differing thought processes. She says that “the prefrontal cortex of the brains of adolescents is still developing, and so they are more likely than adults to act on impulse, engage in dangerous or risky behavior, and misread social cues and emotions” (Lackey 1089). These biological differences, and the childhood lack of brain development, are causes for children to commit crime. Though they do not excuse the behavior, they should be taken into account empathetically. If these aspects were to be taken into further consideration in the future,

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Developmental theories look at how offenders start and end their criminal behaviors. All developmental theories, including the two focused on in this paper, pull from social, psychological, and biological factors to find answers. Both of these theories follow along a trajectory or pathway for offenders. Sampson and Laub’s age-graded theory has offenders following along two possible trajectories. They can either follow along the high risk trajectory or the low risk trajectory.

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The critical number lies at age 21, with persistors having been convicted both before and after that age 21. The age group of 10-13 where they first began offending and convicted has nine offences on average, whereas the 14-16 age group has six offences on average (Farrington et al., 2006, p. 2). These two age groups consist of subjects with the most convictions (with a grand total of committing 77% of the offences in the entire study) is consistent with the Interactional Theory and the Turning Point theory, based on Interactional Theory’s reciprocal loop, on how delinquency values, behaviours and the association with delinquent peers are mutually reinforcing (Thornberry, 1987/2011, pp. 246,251), where delinquency is strongest as delinquent values are less of an emerging value system, but a rather consolidated one; also aligning with the Turning Points Theory on its mentioning of state dependence along with cumulative continuity, in that interactions with delinquents leading to more delinquency is again a mutually reinforcing force (Laub and Sampson, 1993/2011, p.

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