CRIM 316 Chapter Notes - Chapter 8: Abuse, Modus Operandi
31 Jan 2019
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Document Summary
In medicine, mere distinction b/w well & not well does not get us very far. Mere distinction b/w offenders & non-offenders not likely to offer us much, both in terms of understanding root causes of offending, or in designing effective & efficient policies to prevent future victimization. Realization has led many criminologists to adopt criminal career approach to studying offending. Taking longitudinal perspective adds another layer of complexity. Age at which first participate in crime. Age at which they last participate in crime. Experience increases/decreases in number of offenses committed per time unit. Studying diff criminal career dimensions separately & in concord may help to focus intervention efforts to those offender groups posing greatest risk. As frequent offenders may not by definition be those engaging in serious crimes, policies designed to prevent more serious crimes may be better off targeting those whose criminal careers show signs of aggravation rather than mere chronicity.
