CJUS P200 EXAM 3 STUDY GUIDE
2025/2026
, What etiological factors do propensity theories primarily focus on to explain law violating
behavior? - ANSWERSDevelopmental and life-course theories focus on criminal
offending trajectories. The theories view crimes as events that occur during the course
of one's life.
Moffitt's developmental taxonomy argues that there are two different offending
trajectories: - ANSWERS1) life-course persistent
2) adolescence-limited
Sampson and Laub's age-graded theory of social control - ANSWERStheory states that
the sources of social control vary across the life-course and that conventional social
bonds can prevent crime.
Life-course persistent - ANSWERSoffenders display early signs of antisocial behavior
(childhood onset) and persistent offending throughout the life course (long duration;
high frequency).
Adolescent-limited - ANSWERSoffending begins in adolescence and does not persist
through adulthood (adolescent onset; short duration; early desistance) and majority of
offenders follow this pathway.
What causes life-course persistent offending? - ANSWERSoffenders' criminal
propensity stems from neuropsychological deficits. Children with those deficits may then
become "high risk" for committing crime if exposed to a high-risk social environment.
What causes adolescent-limited offending? - ANSWERSare affected by the maturity
gap between biological and social adolescence and thus find delinquency appealing
since it provides access to valuable resources like autonomy from parents, affiliation
and status with peers, and social maturity.
How and for whom do neuropsychological deficits lead to crime? - ANSWERSLife-
course persistent offenders' criminal propensity stems from neuropsychological deficits
that are possibly caused by numerous factors (e.g., disruption in fetal brain
development, maternal prenatal drug use, inadequate nutrition, etc.).
How do neuropsychological deficits relate to and interact with environmental factors
such as parenting and relations with others? - ANSWERSChildren with
neuropsychological deficits become "high risk" for committing crime if exposed to a
high-risk social environment (abuse/neglect, inadequate parenting, disrupted family
bonds, poverty, etc.).
2025/2026
, What etiological factors do propensity theories primarily focus on to explain law violating
behavior? - ANSWERSDevelopmental and life-course theories focus on criminal
offending trajectories. The theories view crimes as events that occur during the course
of one's life.
Moffitt's developmental taxonomy argues that there are two different offending
trajectories: - ANSWERS1) life-course persistent
2) adolescence-limited
Sampson and Laub's age-graded theory of social control - ANSWERStheory states that
the sources of social control vary across the life-course and that conventional social
bonds can prevent crime.
Life-course persistent - ANSWERSoffenders display early signs of antisocial behavior
(childhood onset) and persistent offending throughout the life course (long duration;
high frequency).
Adolescent-limited - ANSWERSoffending begins in adolescence and does not persist
through adulthood (adolescent onset; short duration; early desistance) and majority of
offenders follow this pathway.
What causes life-course persistent offending? - ANSWERSoffenders' criminal
propensity stems from neuropsychological deficits. Children with those deficits may then
become "high risk" for committing crime if exposed to a high-risk social environment.
What causes adolescent-limited offending? - ANSWERSare affected by the maturity
gap between biological and social adolescence and thus find delinquency appealing
since it provides access to valuable resources like autonomy from parents, affiliation
and status with peers, and social maturity.
How and for whom do neuropsychological deficits lead to crime? - ANSWERSLife-
course persistent offenders' criminal propensity stems from neuropsychological deficits
that are possibly caused by numerous factors (e.g., disruption in fetal brain
development, maternal prenatal drug use, inadequate nutrition, etc.).
How do neuropsychological deficits relate to and interact with environmental factors
such as parenting and relations with others? - ANSWERSChildren with
neuropsychological deficits become "high risk" for committing crime if exposed to a
high-risk social environment (abuse/neglect, inadequate parenting, disrupted family
bonds, poverty, etc.).
