Contents
Literature week 1:................................................................................................................. 2
Lecture week 1: introduction................................................................................................ 4
Literature week 2:................................................................................................................. 7
Lecture week 2: Life course theories.................................................................................. 10
Literature week 3................................................................................................................ 16
Lecture week 3: Environmental criminology.......................................................................19
Literature week 4:............................................................................................................... 24
Lecture week 4: family and childhood................................................................................. 27
Literature week 5:............................................................................................................... 31
Lecture week 5: adolescence.............................................................................................. 35
Literature week 6:............................................................................................................... 40
Lecture week 6: adulthood & desistance............................................................................ 43
1
,Literature week 1:
Benson, M.L. (2013). Crime and the Life Course (Chapter 1). Routledge: New York.**
Sutton, J.E. (2010). A review of life-events calendar method for criminological research.
Journal of Criminal Justice 38: 1038-1044.
The life course perspective is a multidisciplinary approach that combines elements from
various sciences (such as biology, psychology, sociology, and history) to study human
lives and development. It is not a specific theory, but rather a way of thinking and
analyzing.
The core ideas of the life course perspective are:
1. Life stages and trajectories: Life is seen as a series of age-related stages and
social roles, separated by normative transitions. These trajectories can be
biological, psychological, and social in nature, and are interconnected. Examples
include educational or professional paths that people follow.
2. Ongoing development: Development and aging are not isolated processes but
occur continuously throughout life. Both adults and children constantly undergo
biological, psychological, and social changes.
3. Four core principles:
a) Historical time and place: The time and place in which someone lives greatly
influence their life course. Social and historical circumstances, such as wars or
economic crises, can significantly affect life paths.
b) Timing of events: The impact of life events depends on the age at which they
occur. For example, an arrest at a young age may have a greater negative impact
on a person’s life path than one in adulthood.
c) Linked lives: People's lives are interconnected with those of others, such as family
and friends. Changes in the lives of close others can also have a significant impact
on a person’s own life course.
d) Human agency: People have the capacity to actively shape their lives through the
choices they make, but these choices are influenced by social and historical
contexts.
In summary, the life course perspective offers insight into how individual life paths are
shaped by both personal choices and broader social and historical influences.
The life course perspective evolved out of longitudinal studies conducted in the 1920s and
1930s and the criminal career paradigm.
4 Criminal careers or trajectories in crime can be described in terms of four dimensions
a. Participation in offending
b. Frequency of offending
c. Seriousness of offending
d. Duration of offending.
2
,The concepts of trajectory and transition are important in the life course perspective. A
trajectory refers to a pattern of linked stages within a domain of development or activity. A
transition is a change in a trajectory from one stage to another. Transitions can be age
appropriate or off time.
The ontogenetic fallacy refers to the “fallacy of attributing developmental outcomes solely
to the unfolding of personal traits and ignoring that it is the interaction between traits and
the environment that produces the outcome.”
3
, Lecture week 1: introduction
Age and crime:
Fact: Adolescents and young adults
commit a disproportionate amount of
crime
Data:
– Official data: Arrests peak in
late teens/early 20s
– Self-report: Teens and young
adults report more criminal
behavior than other age
groups
– Victim surveys: Victims most
commonly report offenders to be teenagers/young adults
Example: arrest data on age and crime
Youths aged 13-17 make up about 6% of the US population, but they account for
about 20% of all “index crime” arrests
– Homicide, aggravated assault, robbery, rape, arson, burglary, larceny, motor
vehicle theft
Adults over 45 make up 32% of the population but account for only 8% of index
crime arrests
Setting the stage:
Until 1970s/80s, much research on crime focused on adolescents
– Find a group of youth (look in schools)
– Have them fill out surveys (get juicy deets)
– Test your theory (prove them wrong)
– Repeat!
Growing interest in criminal behavior over time
– “Criminal careers”
4
Literature week 1:................................................................................................................. 2
Lecture week 1: introduction................................................................................................ 4
Literature week 2:................................................................................................................. 7
Lecture week 2: Life course theories.................................................................................. 10
Literature week 3................................................................................................................ 16
Lecture week 3: Environmental criminology.......................................................................19
Literature week 4:............................................................................................................... 24
Lecture week 4: family and childhood................................................................................. 27
Literature week 5:............................................................................................................... 31
Lecture week 5: adolescence.............................................................................................. 35
Literature week 6:............................................................................................................... 40
Lecture week 6: adulthood & desistance............................................................................ 43
1
,Literature week 1:
Benson, M.L. (2013). Crime and the Life Course (Chapter 1). Routledge: New York.**
Sutton, J.E. (2010). A review of life-events calendar method for criminological research.
Journal of Criminal Justice 38: 1038-1044.
The life course perspective is a multidisciplinary approach that combines elements from
various sciences (such as biology, psychology, sociology, and history) to study human
lives and development. It is not a specific theory, but rather a way of thinking and
analyzing.
The core ideas of the life course perspective are:
1. Life stages and trajectories: Life is seen as a series of age-related stages and
social roles, separated by normative transitions. These trajectories can be
biological, psychological, and social in nature, and are interconnected. Examples
include educational or professional paths that people follow.
2. Ongoing development: Development and aging are not isolated processes but
occur continuously throughout life. Both adults and children constantly undergo
biological, psychological, and social changes.
3. Four core principles:
a) Historical time and place: The time and place in which someone lives greatly
influence their life course. Social and historical circumstances, such as wars or
economic crises, can significantly affect life paths.
b) Timing of events: The impact of life events depends on the age at which they
occur. For example, an arrest at a young age may have a greater negative impact
on a person’s life path than one in adulthood.
c) Linked lives: People's lives are interconnected with those of others, such as family
and friends. Changes in the lives of close others can also have a significant impact
on a person’s own life course.
d) Human agency: People have the capacity to actively shape their lives through the
choices they make, but these choices are influenced by social and historical
contexts.
In summary, the life course perspective offers insight into how individual life paths are
shaped by both personal choices and broader social and historical influences.
The life course perspective evolved out of longitudinal studies conducted in the 1920s and
1930s and the criminal career paradigm.
4 Criminal careers or trajectories in crime can be described in terms of four dimensions
a. Participation in offending
b. Frequency of offending
c. Seriousness of offending
d. Duration of offending.
2
,The concepts of trajectory and transition are important in the life course perspective. A
trajectory refers to a pattern of linked stages within a domain of development or activity. A
transition is a change in a trajectory from one stage to another. Transitions can be age
appropriate or off time.
The ontogenetic fallacy refers to the “fallacy of attributing developmental outcomes solely
to the unfolding of personal traits and ignoring that it is the interaction between traits and
the environment that produces the outcome.”
3
, Lecture week 1: introduction
Age and crime:
Fact: Adolescents and young adults
commit a disproportionate amount of
crime
Data:
– Official data: Arrests peak in
late teens/early 20s
– Self-report: Teens and young
adults report more criminal
behavior than other age
groups
– Victim surveys: Victims most
commonly report offenders to be teenagers/young adults
Example: arrest data on age and crime
Youths aged 13-17 make up about 6% of the US population, but they account for
about 20% of all “index crime” arrests
– Homicide, aggravated assault, robbery, rape, arson, burglary, larceny, motor
vehicle theft
Adults over 45 make up 32% of the population but account for only 8% of index
crime arrests
Setting the stage:
Until 1970s/80s, much research on crime focused on adolescents
– Find a group of youth (look in schools)
– Have them fill out surveys (get juicy deets)
– Test your theory (prove them wrong)
– Repeat!
Growing interest in criminal behavior over time
– “Criminal careers”
4
