Criminal Behaviour during the Life-Course (2024-2025)
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OVERVIEW OF THE COURSE
Part 1: Theories and Concepts
Introduction to Life-Course Criminology (week 1)
Life course research focuses on how criminal behaviour evolves over time.
Benson (2013) introduces life course research, discussing how change is fundamental in
understanding crime patterns.
Sutton (2010) highlights the life-events calendar method, useful for capturing individual
life histories, and its strengths/weaknesses in criminological studies.
Life Course Theories (week 2)
Criminological theories can be static, dynamic or typological (combined). Static theories
like Hirschi & Gottfredson’s (1983) argues that crime declines with age, there is a degree
of propensity that explains differences between individuals. This, however, doesn’t
explain why crime declines with age, so dynamic theories were developed.
Moffitt's dual taxonomy theory (1993) distinguishes between two types of offenders:
؞Adolescence-Limited (AL) offenders: Short-term criminal behaviour during
adolescence.
؞Life-Course-Persistent (LCP) offenders: Chronic criminal behaviour starting in
childhood.
Sampson and Laub (1993) propose the age-graded theory of informal social control,
emphasizing turning points (e.g., marriage, employment) that lead individuals away from
crime.
Situational and Environmental Perspectives (week 3)
Criminal behaviour can also be prevented by identifying the opportunities of crime. This
is a strategy that is more common for policymaking as interventions are easier to
1
, implement, as compared to intervening a life of a to-be(maybe?) criminal. There are
multiple ways to look at this.
Environmental criminology focuses on how immediate settings and environments
influence crime (Sidebottom & Wortley, 2015).
Rational Choice Theory (Cornish & Clarke, 1986) focuses on decision-making processes
and how perceived risks and rewards influence criminal behaviour.
Routine Activity Theory (Cohen & Felson, 1979) emphasizes the role of daily activities in
creating opportunities for crime, highlighting the importance of suitable targets and
guardianship.
Crime Pattern Theory (Brantingham & Brantingham, 1981) explores the spatial
distribution of crime, demonstrating how familiarity with certain environments
influences offender behaviour.
Security hypothesis (Farrell et al., 2011) discusses how improvements in security
measures contributed to the crime drop.
Part 2: Empirical Research, Debates, and Policy Implications
Criminal Behaviour in Childhood – Family and Parenting (week 4)
Family risk factors play a critical role in early criminal development. Family structure,
parenting styles, and parent-child relationships are key factors.
Intergenerational transmission of crime is explored by Besemer et al. (2017), explaining
how parental criminal behaviour can influence their children through various
mechanisms.
Novak's (2022) research underscores the critical importance of understanding the
interconnectedness of adverse childhood experiences, neuropsychological development,
and educational practices.
Criminal Behaviour during Adolescence – Peer Influence (week 5)
This week the role of peer influence, during adolescence, on criminal behaviour is
discussed. Peer influence is a dominant factor during adolescence
2
, Freelin et al. (2023) examine how changing school environments affect delinquency.
Rees and Pogarsky (2011) focus specifically on how friendship networks and peer
groups influence delinquency, showing the nuanced impact of peer dynamics.
Criminal Behaviour in Adulthood – Desistance (week 6)
Desistance from crime in adulthood is studied in relation to life transitions such as
marriage and employment.
Thomas et al. (2023) and Copp et al. (2020) highlight mechanisms like identity shifts,
social relationships, and value orientations as key drivers in the process of desistance.
3
, KEY CONCEPTS & ASSUMPTIONS
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Before we go into the articles, I want define important concepts and the assumptions we build
upon within life-course theory.
Key concepts
1. Social Pathway
A social pathway refers to the series of social experiences, relationships, and contexts
that shape an individual's development and behaviour over time. It encompasses the
social environments in which individuals operate, including family, peers, schools,
communities, and broader societal influences. Social pathways contribute to the
formation of trajectories by influencing the long-term patterns of behaviour and
development.
2. Trajectory
A trajectory refers to the long-term patterns or pathways of behaviour or experiences
that extend over a significant portion of a person's life. It represents a sequence of states
or behaviours over time, often in a specific domain like criminal behaviour, employment,
or marriage.
Trajectories are shaped by age effects (e.g., typical behaviour at certain ages), but can
be altered by period effects (e.g., economic downturns) or cohort effects (e.g., a
generation growing up during the war).
3. Transition
A transition refers to a specific event or change in a person’s status or role that occurs at
a particular point in time. Transitions are short-term changes within a broader trajectory,
such as entering or leaving school, getting married, starting a job, or becoming a parent.
4. Turning points
A turning point is a specific kind of transition that results in a significant redirection of a
person’s trajectory. These events cause long-term changes in behaviour or outcomes,
often by offering opportunities for desistance or reinforcing criminality.
4
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
______
OVERVIEW OF THE COURSE
Part 1: Theories and Concepts
Introduction to Life-Course Criminology (week 1)
Life course research focuses on how criminal behaviour evolves over time.
Benson (2013) introduces life course research, discussing how change is fundamental in
understanding crime patterns.
Sutton (2010) highlights the life-events calendar method, useful for capturing individual
life histories, and its strengths/weaknesses in criminological studies.
Life Course Theories (week 2)
Criminological theories can be static, dynamic or typological (combined). Static theories
like Hirschi & Gottfredson’s (1983) argues that crime declines with age, there is a degree
of propensity that explains differences between individuals. This, however, doesn’t
explain why crime declines with age, so dynamic theories were developed.
Moffitt's dual taxonomy theory (1993) distinguishes between two types of offenders:
؞Adolescence-Limited (AL) offenders: Short-term criminal behaviour during
adolescence.
؞Life-Course-Persistent (LCP) offenders: Chronic criminal behaviour starting in
childhood.
Sampson and Laub (1993) propose the age-graded theory of informal social control,
emphasizing turning points (e.g., marriage, employment) that lead individuals away from
crime.
Situational and Environmental Perspectives (week 3)
Criminal behaviour can also be prevented by identifying the opportunities of crime. This
is a strategy that is more common for policymaking as interventions are easier to
1
, implement, as compared to intervening a life of a to-be(maybe?) criminal. There are
multiple ways to look at this.
Environmental criminology focuses on how immediate settings and environments
influence crime (Sidebottom & Wortley, 2015).
Rational Choice Theory (Cornish & Clarke, 1986) focuses on decision-making processes
and how perceived risks and rewards influence criminal behaviour.
Routine Activity Theory (Cohen & Felson, 1979) emphasizes the role of daily activities in
creating opportunities for crime, highlighting the importance of suitable targets and
guardianship.
Crime Pattern Theory (Brantingham & Brantingham, 1981) explores the spatial
distribution of crime, demonstrating how familiarity with certain environments
influences offender behaviour.
Security hypothesis (Farrell et al., 2011) discusses how improvements in security
measures contributed to the crime drop.
Part 2: Empirical Research, Debates, and Policy Implications
Criminal Behaviour in Childhood – Family and Parenting (week 4)
Family risk factors play a critical role in early criminal development. Family structure,
parenting styles, and parent-child relationships are key factors.
Intergenerational transmission of crime is explored by Besemer et al. (2017), explaining
how parental criminal behaviour can influence their children through various
mechanisms.
Novak's (2022) research underscores the critical importance of understanding the
interconnectedness of adverse childhood experiences, neuropsychological development,
and educational practices.
Criminal Behaviour during Adolescence – Peer Influence (week 5)
This week the role of peer influence, during adolescence, on criminal behaviour is
discussed. Peer influence is a dominant factor during adolescence
2
, Freelin et al. (2023) examine how changing school environments affect delinquency.
Rees and Pogarsky (2011) focus specifically on how friendship networks and peer
groups influence delinquency, showing the nuanced impact of peer dynamics.
Criminal Behaviour in Adulthood – Desistance (week 6)
Desistance from crime in adulthood is studied in relation to life transitions such as
marriage and employment.
Thomas et al. (2023) and Copp et al. (2020) highlight mechanisms like identity shifts,
social relationships, and value orientations as key drivers in the process of desistance.
3
, KEY CONCEPTS & ASSUMPTIONS
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Before we go into the articles, I want define important concepts and the assumptions we build
upon within life-course theory.
Key concepts
1. Social Pathway
A social pathway refers to the series of social experiences, relationships, and contexts
that shape an individual's development and behaviour over time. It encompasses the
social environments in which individuals operate, including family, peers, schools,
communities, and broader societal influences. Social pathways contribute to the
formation of trajectories by influencing the long-term patterns of behaviour and
development.
2. Trajectory
A trajectory refers to the long-term patterns or pathways of behaviour or experiences
that extend over a significant portion of a person's life. It represents a sequence of states
or behaviours over time, often in a specific domain like criminal behaviour, employment,
or marriage.
Trajectories are shaped by age effects (e.g., typical behaviour at certain ages), but can
be altered by period effects (e.g., economic downturns) or cohort effects (e.g., a
generation growing up during the war).
3. Transition
A transition refers to a specific event or change in a person’s status or role that occurs at
a particular point in time. Transitions are short-term changes within a broader trajectory,
such as entering or leaving school, getting married, starting a job, or becoming a parent.
4. Turning points
A turning point is a specific kind of transition that results in a significant redirection of a
person’s trajectory. These events cause long-term changes in behaviour or outcomes,
often by offering opportunities for desistance or reinforcing criminality.
4
