LIFE COURSE CRIMINOLOGY – in between critical realism and
positivism
Part 1 (15%): write down the main premise of each theory
Part 2 ( 40%): multiple-choice questions
Part 3 (45%): long-answer (in-depth account of perspectives),
thorough account of perspectives, history, strengths, critiques –
origins, main concepts, significance and critiques
PART 1
Main premise: grounded in the idea that criminal behaviour changes over
time, life-course criminology explores individual & social factors &
transitions that influence the emergence, persistence or desistance of
criminal behaviour
PART 2 - Example
Which of the following statements about life-course criminology
is correct?
a) Life-course criminology seeks to establish what is the minimum
number of prisons there should be per 100,000 people
b) Life-course criminology studies trajectories, which are events such
as getting married or getting a job
c) Risk factors for criminal behaviour are characteristics, conditions, or
variables which are statistically associated with a higher likelihood
of criminal behaviour
d) Longitudinal studies require the researcher to interview each
participant at least 7 times
Which of these statements about desistance are correct? Select
all that apply
a) Desistance is studied exclusively through quantitative studies
b) Desistance is understood to be a process, not a destination
c) There are individual as well as structural factors that foster or hinder
desistance
d) The CJS often gets in the way of desistance & can extend people’s
criminal career
, Key Premise & Origins
Q1. The central premise of life-course criminology is that:
A. Criminal behaviour is fixed early in childhood and remains stable
B. Criminal behaviour changes over time and is shaped by social and
individual transitions
C. Crime is best explained by biological determinism
D. Crime is primarily the result of rational choice
Correct answer: B
Q2. Life-course criminology is most closely associated with which
epistemological tradition?
A. Interpretivism
B. Critical realism
C. Positivism
D. Post-structuralism
Correct answer: C
Q3. Which early researchers are most strongly associated with the origins
of life-course criminology in the 1930s?
A. Hirschi and Gottfredson
B. Becker and Lemert
C. The Gluecks
D. Sampson and Laub
Correct answer: C
Core Concepts: Life Course, Trajectories & Transitions
Q4. In life-course criminology, a trajectory refers to:
A. A single event that changes behaviour
B. The formal response of the criminal justice system
C. A long-term pattern of behaviour over time
D. A statistical risk factor
positivism
Part 1 (15%): write down the main premise of each theory
Part 2 ( 40%): multiple-choice questions
Part 3 (45%): long-answer (in-depth account of perspectives),
thorough account of perspectives, history, strengths, critiques –
origins, main concepts, significance and critiques
PART 1
Main premise: grounded in the idea that criminal behaviour changes over
time, life-course criminology explores individual & social factors &
transitions that influence the emergence, persistence or desistance of
criminal behaviour
PART 2 - Example
Which of the following statements about life-course criminology
is correct?
a) Life-course criminology seeks to establish what is the minimum
number of prisons there should be per 100,000 people
b) Life-course criminology studies trajectories, which are events such
as getting married or getting a job
c) Risk factors for criminal behaviour are characteristics, conditions, or
variables which are statistically associated with a higher likelihood
of criminal behaviour
d) Longitudinal studies require the researcher to interview each
participant at least 7 times
Which of these statements about desistance are correct? Select
all that apply
a) Desistance is studied exclusively through quantitative studies
b) Desistance is understood to be a process, not a destination
c) There are individual as well as structural factors that foster or hinder
desistance
d) The CJS often gets in the way of desistance & can extend people’s
criminal career
, Key Premise & Origins
Q1. The central premise of life-course criminology is that:
A. Criminal behaviour is fixed early in childhood and remains stable
B. Criminal behaviour changes over time and is shaped by social and
individual transitions
C. Crime is best explained by biological determinism
D. Crime is primarily the result of rational choice
Correct answer: B
Q2. Life-course criminology is most closely associated with which
epistemological tradition?
A. Interpretivism
B. Critical realism
C. Positivism
D. Post-structuralism
Correct answer: C
Q3. Which early researchers are most strongly associated with the origins
of life-course criminology in the 1930s?
A. Hirschi and Gottfredson
B. Becker and Lemert
C. The Gluecks
D. Sampson and Laub
Correct answer: C
Core Concepts: Life Course, Trajectories & Transitions
Q4. In life-course criminology, a trajectory refers to:
A. A single event that changes behaviour
B. The formal response of the criminal justice system
C. A long-term pattern of behaviour over time
D. A statistical risk factor
