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The Age-Graded Theory

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Imagine yourself building relationships and learning behaviors that can determine one’s life course. Individuals typically mature and develop responsibility through life experiences. Life experiences generally are categorized as positive or negative life experiences. These positive and negative life experiences can have an impact on the criminal mentality. A positive life experience could help criminals discontinue criminal activity for a short period. On the other hand, a negative life experience may result in a return to criminal behavior. A return to criminal behaviors can lead to increased violent actions by the criminals. It is important that individuals learn from life experiences in order to model social accepted behaviors. Their social, …show more content…

Turning points like marriage, career, and military services are events which develop maturity and responsibilities that are critical in the age-graded theory. Siegal and Welsh state “according to the age-graded theory, people can knife off from crime if they receive the proper social support” (Siegal and Welsh, 2014, p. 135). The age-graded theory gives examples of life courses that seek to explain the interaction between individual factors and antisocial behaviors. The turning points in the life course, can identify the events and incorporate the relationship to social interactions which determine whether one chooses crime or noncriminal activity. The social development model is a life-course theory that discusses how human behavior is developed during life-time. The model demonstrates different risk factors in one’s environment which may lead to antisocial or criminal behaviors. The interactional theory discusses social cognition which focuses on human behaviors and environment factors. The theory explains how delinquent activities can be traced to negative social bonds, negative beliefs and values, and a commitment to the criminal …show more content…

Social capital is the idea how social relationships form a functional society. The accumulation of social capital improves the likelihood of a positive lifestyle and predictable positive behaviors. Children who accumulate social capital inhibit the likelihood of deviant actions while the loss of social capital increases the likelihood of deviant behavior. Siegal and Welsh state “losing social capital has a cumulative effect, when kids are exposed to more disadvantages the likelihood of their entering a delinquent and criminal career increases” (Siegal and Welsh, 2014, p. 137). Another important element of social capital involves romantic relationships. Positive romantic relationships, promote positive social interactions and positive life-course

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Just like children are taught to read and write, prisoners must be taught something other than atrocity. Property offenders were the most likely to be rearrested, with 82.1 percent of released property offenders arrested for a new crime ( ). Why are minor crime offenders committing serious crimes even after their consequence? The obtainment of the knowledge necessary to transform the perspective of the criminal into one that has no lust for crime could alter the continuous growth in the incarnation rates in

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Social process theory has several subdivisions including: social control theory, social learning theory and social reaction (labeling) theory (will only focus on social control theory). Social control theory insinuates every person has the possibility of becoming a criminal, but most people are influenced by their bonds to society. It contends that individuals obey the law and are less likely to commit crime if they have: learned self-control, attachment (to family, friends, peers, education, etc.), commitment (to school, learning, etc.), involvement (in leisure activities, sports, etc.), and belief (those that are positive). According to social control theory, an individual is more likely to be criminal/deviant if they are detached and alienated (from friends, education, family, etc.),

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Build upon Hirschi’s control theories, Sampson and Laub (1992) proposed Age-Graded Life-Course Theory by focusing on continuities and discontinuities in deviant behavior over time and on the social influences of age-graded transitions and salient life events. By analyzing the data of a longitudinal study of troubled boys in Boston (Gluck, 1940) with the follow-up studies, they found out that some of the delinquent boys stayed in trouble even when they are around 60-year-old; while others desist at some turning point. Because of the marriage, military services, jobs, school works or some other reasons, they quitted from delinquency and come back to the mainstream life. Therefore, their argument combined self-control (Gottfredson and Hirschi,

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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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We ask a question which came first the peer of the delinquent with selection perspective youth, selects their peers based on their own delinquency or delinquent attitudes. The socialization perspective with peer influence involvement attitudes and what are possible relationships criminal associations criminal definitions which lead to crime. This is a macro level theory on

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Social learning theory and social bonding theory are two theories that may be compared and contrasted because they both overlap and differ. Although these theories have their similarities and differences, one theory may prove to be more convincing in terms of applying the theory to the understanding of crime and delinquency. Social learning theory refers to Akers’ theory of crime and deviance. Akers attempted to specify the mechanism and processes through which criminal learning takes place by explaining crime and deviance; he did this in such a way that the likelihood of conforming or deviant behavior based on the influence of an individual’s history of learning was accounted for. This theory was based off Sutherland’s differential association theory, which had nine propositions outlining the process by which individuals acquire attitudes favorable to criminal or delinquent behavior with the basic idea that people tend to associate with others in which they come into contact.

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By researching this particular logic of the lifespan, the researchers are enabling the criminal justice system to better understand how variable such as marriage, gainful and fulfilling employment, post-secondary education, child-bearing, financial independence, all potentially have influence on a person’s development throughout their life, and what could possibly derail them. The interesting logic here, is that what used to be considered normal markers such as the variables listed above are altering due to a ever-changing society. For example, the researchers mentioned that single parents are now more prevalent however; this can still be a great marker in relation to desistance from crime through the

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This process has nine components (Cullen, 2014). The first is criminal behavior is learned not inherited. Second, the Criminal behavior is learned in interaction with other persons in a process of communication. Third, the principal part of the learning of criminal behavior occurs within intimate personal groups. Fourth, When criminal behavior is learned, the learning includes (a) techniques of committing the crime, which is sometimes very complicated, sometimes simple; (b) the specific direction of motives, drives, rationalizations, and attitudes.

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A person does a crime and puts them into trouble might be difficult at first but any negative problem can be turned into positive. For example, a teengager commits an illegal situation and gets send to prison and regrets what he or she has done. Consequently, it was too late that the teen had realize what problems got into.

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One of the most debated topics throughout the world is nature versus nurture. When psychologists debate this topic, they are studying what influences a person’s personal development. Some say that a person’s nature influences personal development while others say a person’s nurture influences personal development. A lot of people spend time contemplating which one actually does the influencing but what some do not realize is that, perhaps, both nature and nurture help shape a person’s personal development. One topic that comes up quite often is whether or not a person is born a criminal.

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In this paper I will be analyzing how living in a stressful, violent, and poverty-ridden environment in combination with racial discrimination can allow residents of that community too develop a “code of the street”, a set of informal rules to abide by. The two theories I will be connecting this matter to, is the social learning theory and social disorganization theory. More often, these street codes and rules are created by young gang members who manage and “run” the neighbourhood and have an influence. It is a requirement for every resident to not only be aware but abide by the rules, it does not matter the age, sex, or colour, but more where that individual resides, at times it may be for survival. Some of the rules in this code are

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My paper aims to discuss the three different factors of criminal behaviour, what causes it and why. My essay will examine and focus mainly on the genetic makeup of a person, the environment in which they are raised in and gender differences.

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These individuals are likely to believe that the better way to reduce crime is to give criminals a harsh punishment. A positivist theory tries to explain that several biological and social factors may lead to criminal behavior. For example, there might be a lack of poverty and education in some places in which could result in a cause of higher crime rates but can be reduced if employment and educational opportunities are being suggested. Last theory is Individual trait, in which suggests that the most distinguishable differences between noncriminal and criminals are physiological and biological. Therefore a suggestion for this would be to limit the interaction between the ones who have the same

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It is evident that young people’s experiences in second level education is moulded by the various capital forms. Bourdieu highlights four different types of capital- economic capital, cultural capital, social capital and symbolic capital. Cultural capital, social capital and emotional capital will be discussed in detail throughout this essay. Although Bourdieu doesn’t mention emotional capital he gives us a clear understanding of the other forms of capital and how they are interlinked. Bourdieu contemplates a process which one form of capital can be transformed into another’ (Bourdieu, 1986).

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The set of the structural-functional theories are among the most widespread perspectives on the juvenile delinquency. The group of the theories regards that the behavior of the underage delinquent is caused by the breakdown of the social process that consequently results in the increase of conformity (Thompson & Bynum, 2016). The group of theories presumably blame institutions that are responsible for the socialization of the young delinquents for the way the socialize the individuals by causing them to conform to the values of the society. One of the central theories of the juvenile delinquency is the anomie theory that is rooted in the early studies by the sociologist Emile Durkheim.

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