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Maguire, Morgan & Reiner: The Oxford Handbook of Criminology 4e

Chapter 20

For a general review of the topics covered in this chapter, see M. L. Benson, Crime and the Life Course (Los Angeles: Roxburg, 2002).

The best source for contemporary theoretical approaches to crime and the life course is T. P. Thornberry (ed.) (1997), Advances in Criminological Theory Vol 7: Developmental Theories of Crime and Delinquency, 11–54. (New Brunswick, N.J. and London: Transaction). This is a series of essays, each one covering one of the major theoretical traditions.

For a treatment of patterns of convictions over the life course (up to age 40) see K. Soothill, B. Francis, and R. Fligelsone (2002), Patterns of Offending Behaviour: A New Approach (London: Home Office, Research Findings No 171).

For a comprehensive review of the evidence on the effect of family factors on delinquency, see R. Loeber and M. Stouthamer-Loeber (1986), 'Family Factors as Correlates and predictors of juvenile conduct problems and delinquency', in M. Tonry and N. Morris (eds), Crime and Justice: An Annual Review of Research, 7: 29–149 (Chicago: University of Chicago Press). More recent research, which does not always confirm these earlier conclusions, has not yet been conveniently summarized in a similar review.

For a succinct review of the evidence on genetic influences on antisocial behaviour, see G. Carey and D. Goldman (1997), 'The Genetics of Antisocial Behaviour', in D. M. Stoff (ed.), Handbook of Antisocial Behaviour, 243–54, (New York: Wiley). A more recent review is provided by S. H. Rhee and I. D. Waldman (2002),'Genetic and Environmental Influences on Antisocial Behavior: A meta-analysis' (Psychological Bulletin, 128: 490–529). A much more detailed treatment is provided by T. E. Moffitt (2005), 'The New Look of Behavioral Genetics in Developmental Psychopathology: Gene-Environment Interplay in Antisocial Behaviors' (Psychological Bulletin, 131(4): 533–54). For a review of the influence of factors rooted in the central nervous system (whether or not inherited) see T. E. Moffitt (1990), 'The Neuropsychology of Juvenile Delinquency: A Critical Review', in M. Tonry and N. Morris (eds), eds., Crime and Justice: An Annual Review of Research, 12: 99–169 (Chicago: University of Chicago Press).

For a conspectus of the voluminous output from the Cambridge Study, see D. P. Farrington (2002), 'Key Findings from the First Forty Years of the Cambridge Study of Delinquent Development', in T. P. Thornberry and M. D. Krohn (eds), Taking Stock of Delinquency: An Overview of Findings from Contemporary Longitudinal Studies (New York: Kluwer/Plenum).

Some of the most important findings from longitudinal research on crime in recent years are from the reanalysis of the earlier study in Boston by Sheldon and Eleanor Glueck. This work is brought together in an accessible way, and related to a developed theoretical framework, in R. J. Sampson and J. H. Laub (1993), Crime in the Making: Pathways and Turning Points through Life (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press). Findings from very long-term follow-ups of members of the same cohort, focusing particularly on desistance from crime, are presented in J. H. Laub and R. J. Sampson (2003), Shared Beginnings, Divergent Lives: Delinquent Boys to Age 70 (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press). A thorough review of the research literature on desistance and a new analysis is provided by M. E. Ezell and L. E. Cohen (2005), Desisting from Crime: Continuity and Change in Long-Term Crime Patterns of Serious Chronic Offenders (Oxford: Oxford University Press). For a new approach to desistance based on qualitative research, see S. Maruna (2001), Making Good: How Ex-Convicts Reform and Rebuild their Lives (Washington DC: American Psychological Association).

The original statement of Moffitt's developmental taxonomy is to be found in T. E. Moffitt (1993), ' "Life-course-persistent" and "Adolescence-limited" Antisocial Behaviour: A Developmental Taxonomy' (Psychological Review, 100: 674–701), although several longer treatments are also referred to in this chapter. Moffitt reviewed the theory in the light of subsequent research in (2003), 'Life-Course Persistent and Adolescence-Limited Antisocial Behavior: A 10-Year Research Review and a Research Agenda', in B. B. Lahey, T. E. Moffitt, and A. Caspi (eds), Causes of Conduct Disorder and Juvenile Delinquency, 49–75 (New York and London: The Guilford Press).

Readers who are interested in analytical and empirical work on gender issues and offending should consult T. E. Moffitt, A. Caspi, M. Rutter, and P. A. Silva (2001), Sex Differences in Antisocial Behaviour (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press). A review of research on the influence of peers on offending can be found in M. Warr (2002), Companions in Crime: The Social Aspects of Criminal Conduct (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press).