CHAPTER 5:
DEVELOPMENTAL VIEWS OF DELINQUENCY
Life-course theory:
Latent trait theory:
Trajectory theory:
DEVELOPMENT THEORIES
LO1.
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THE LIFE COURSE VIEW
LO2.
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THE DEVELOPMENTAL PROCESS
LO2.
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THE GLUECK RESEARCH
LO2.
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Age of Onset
Problem Behavior Syndrome
Continuity of Crime and Delinquency
LIFE COURSE CONCEPTS
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AGE OF ONSET
LO2.
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PROBLEM BEHAVIOR SYNDROME
LO2.
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CONTINUITY OF CRIME AND DELINQUENCY
LO2.
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AGE GRADED THEORY
LO3.
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FIGURE 5.1 Sampson and Laub’s Age-Graded Theory
Career
Marriage
TURNING POINTS IN LIFE COURSE
LO3.
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VA Tech Massacre – Seung-Hui Cho’s Story Current Example
Seung-Hui Cho was an undergraduate student at Virginia Tech who killed 32 people and wounded 25 others on April 16, 2007 in a shooting rampage. Cho later committed suicide. Born in South Korea, Cho arrived in the United States in 1992 at the age of 8, with his family. The family first lived in Maryland then moved to the Washington metropolitan area. He became a US permanent resident. In middle school, he was diagnosed with a severe anxiety disorder as well as major depressive disorder. After this diagnosis he began receiving treatment and continued to receive therapy and special education support until his junior year of high school. During Cho's last two years at Virginia Tech, teachers and classmates grow concerned over several instances of his abnormal behavior and his writings, which often included graphic violence.
From Cho’s story above, can you identify some of the “turning points” in his life?
How could these “turning points” have changed his life, positively or negatively?
Was there anything that could been done to change the outcome of his life?
LO3.
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DEVELOPING SOCIAL CAPITAL
LO3.
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TESTING AGE-GRADED THEORY
LO3.
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LOVE AND DELINQUENCY
LO3.
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Love and Delinquency – Current Example
According to a study published in the American Sociological Review (2009), teenagers in love are less likely to commit crime. Young girls and boys who have romantic relationships or are in love usually don’t get mixed up in crime and pernicious habits. At the same time, teens that have casual sex without being in love are more likely to get into trouble. According to the study, teenagers who have romantic sexual relationships and teenagers who abstain from sex are very unlikely to be involved in substance abused or other criminal behaviors. However, teens who have casual sex without romantic feelings have a much greater chance of becoming criminals.
Based on the discussion in your text, can you explain the correlation between “love” and “delinquency”?
Why is being “in love” a “social capital,” and how does it correlate in explaining delinquent behavior?
LO3.
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THE LATENT TRAIT VIEW
LO4.
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Murder Rate in the Neighborhood and IQ – Current Example
After analyzing more than 6,000 murders in the Chicago area and two surveys of children and families in Chicago neighborhoods, Professor Sharkey at New York University concluded that a murder in the neighborhood can significantly knock down a child's score on an IQ test, even if the child did not directly witness the killing or know the victim (2010). According to Sharkey, the results can also explain about half the achievement gap between blacks and whites on such tests.
Based on the discussion in your text, can you explain the correlation found in Professor Sharkey’s study?
What major impacts does IQ have on our society as a whole?
LO4.
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GENERAL THEORY OF CRIME
LO4.
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GENERAL THEORY OF CRIME
LO4.
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FIGURE 5.2 THE GENERAL THEORY OF CRIME
TESTING THE GENERAL THEORY OF CRIME
LO4.
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TRAJECTORY THEORY
LO5.
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Adolescent-limited offenders:
Life-course persistent offenders:
ADOLESCENT LIMITED AND LIFE COURSE PERSISTENT OFFENDERS
LO5.
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EVALUATING THE DEVELOPMENTAL VIEW
LO1.
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DEVELOPMENTAL THEORY AND DELINQUENCY PREVENTION
LO1.
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The foundation of Development Theory can be traced to the pioneering work of Sheldon and Eleanor Glueck
Life Course theory suggests that delinquent behavior is a dynamic process, influenced by individual characteristics and social experiences
Latent trait theory suggests that a stable feature, characteristics, property or condition makes some delinquency prone for life
Trajectory theorists recognize that career delinquents may travel more than a single road
SUMMARY
LO1-LO5.
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