Developmental Criminology
Write a 3 to 4-page typed double space answer (excluding references, tables, or figures). Please follow the guidelines in the American Psychological Association style 7th edition for formatting your paper
Danny stared at the cell floor. He’s been in trouble a few times, but this was his first arrest. He reflected over the last few months since his dad left. He’d smoked pot, got suspended from school, stole some cigars, crashed his mom’s car, and resisted arrest.
They revoked his learner’s permit, and the DUI charge meant he’d have to wait until he was 18 before, he’d get his license. It probably didn’t matter because he’d likely be in juvie until then anyway. Why did Danny end up here? What can be done?
Criminology is the study of crime with the goal of understanding its causes and developing policies for its reduction. Many mainstream criminological theories focus on the individual and the reasons why he or she chooses to commit a crime or fails to possess the ability to choose not to.
Developmental criminology explains criminal conduct as a relation to changes in individuals over time and their life circumstances, focusing on childhood. This perspective is less about the individual’s ability to choose or not choose to commit a crime, but rather how over time, environmental factors and life events contribute to the path of delinquency and possibly a life of crime.
Several developmental theories of criminology exist, each with a different focus, which suggests that there may be several pathways for a youth to become a criminal. Explain the principles of life-course theories. Pick two of the three developmental theories discussed in class (i.e., General Theory of Crime, Moffit’s Developmental Theory, and Sampson and Laub’s Age-Graded Theory of Social Control) and (1) describe the theory, (2) use the theories to explain Danny’s criminal behavior, and (3) apply the theories to understand what factors might cause Danny to stop engaging in criminal activity (i.e. resistance).
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