SOC 2700 Chapter : SOC*2700 Ch 15.pdf
Document Summary
Assume that different factors may have different effects on offenders of different agers. Explain crime in the context of the life court, the progression from childhood to adolescence to adulthood and ultimately to old age. Some criminologists argue that these developmental theories do not contribute anything new to criminology. A major debate about this issue was engaged by the 80s, centering around the relationship between age and crime. The great debate: criminal careers, longitudinal research, and the relationship. A 1972 study found the 6% of juveniles accounted by 52% of all juvenile contacts involving felony offenses. This led to the idea that there was a small group of active career criminals who accounted for a very large portion of crime. This led to the idea that crime rates could be reduced dramatically by locking up these chronic offenders. The idea of career criminals and criminals careers are very different.
