Describe and critique Moffitt

This study has helped in the understanding of criminal behaviour as children learn through imitation and the environment which they grow up in have an effect on their behaviour. If a child has been brought up around abuse, criminal activity or consistent aggression then the child is most likely to offend by imitating their role model which could be a parent, sibling or even just a role model which they look up to.

The “looking-glass self” clearly explains how deviant behavior arises among juveniles. Under this concept, the social self is seen as the image that one internalizes out of how others define him or her (Winters, Globokar, & Roberson, 2014). The society is thus like a mirror or the ‘looking glass’ through which one sees the self. According to the proponents of the labeling theory, the ‘looking glass’ have a significant impact on one’s behavior. For instance, when a person construes that other seem him/her as lazy, that person will likely act lazy in order to fulfill the ascription. This is the same as self-fulfilling. In line with this concept, when youths face arrests, they are kept with other criminals and are labeled criminals. This gives the particular youth different experiences. The youth may develop new friendships while in prison or join gangs. While the youth leaves prison, he/she is likely to continue with criminal behavior.

Focuses mainly on interactionist theory but uses labeling theory as a type of interaction that affects delinquency. Labeling specifically in relation to gender, used to explain the gender gap in juvenile delinquency. Used data from the 1976 National Youth Survey, a longitudinal study, uses a multistage cluster sampling, sample includes 1,725 11-17 year-olds, using the first three annual waves of data. Used personal interviews to collect self-report of delinquency, parents ' appraisals of their children, and youths ' reflected appraisals of themselves from the standpoint of parents, friends, and teachers. Labeling theory implies that males are more likely than females to be labeled delinquent, in part because they engage in more objective acts of rule violation, and in part because common stereotypes portray delinquency as a male phenomenon. Except status offenses, which are more often reported for and enforced on females rather than males. Believed that females may be more relationship-oriented, making them more sensitive to public opinion. The labeling process is more consequential for females than for males is also unsupported.

The criminal justice system approaches young offenders through unique policies to address the challenges of dealing with juvenile offending. They take special care when dealing with juveniles in order to stop them from repeat offending and stop any potential bad behaviour which could result in future. Juveniles have the highest tendency to rehabilitate and most adopt law-abiding lifestyles as they mature. There are several factors influencing juvenile crime including psychological and social pressures unique to juveniles, which may lead to an increase in juvenile’s risks of contact with the criminal justice system.

Juvenile delinquency is a strong predictor of adult criminality. Therefore, professionals aiming to reduce overall crime can benefit by seeking preventative and early intervention methods with troubled youth. This article seeks to address the “psychosocial and psychopathological risk factors as predictors of adult criminal outcomes” (Aebi et al., 2013). The design of the study replicates an older longitudinal study performed by Zurich Adolescent Psychology and Psychopathological Study, or ZAPPS. First, the researchers utilized data from the original study to determine which risk factors have the possibility impacting future adult criminal behavior. Next, the coping strategies of offenders are analyzed to determine if poor coping skills attribute to long-term antisocial behavior.

Merging these two theories would be helpful to provide more accurate prediction and understanding of crime. There are ideological differences as well as a different unit of analysis is different for the two but researchers may be able to look at the individuals who are in an environment that is strained as well as look at individual level variables of Age Graded theory. Age Graded theory does not include important factors such as cultural and institutional dynamic. Those who are involved in prosocial institutions and cultures such as education and arts may be integrated with those who are attached to their spouses.

“In 1993, Moffitt states that manifestations of antisocial behavior emerge very early in the life course and remain present thereafter, suggesting childhood behaviors are links to adult criminality.” This notes the importance of exploring why these antisocial tendencies come to light in adolescence, in order to prevent future criminality. Thus, researching the differences and similarities between conduct disorder (CD), antisocial personality disorder (ASPD), and their rehabilitation can influence the likelihood of future crime, in addition to studying future criminality based on gender, individuality, and the effectivity of treatment in relation to CD.

In the life course theory there transitions that occur in a person’s life as a part of growing up and developing like many other social theories on crime, it is the family relationship’s that guide these transitions to take place accordingly. If these transitions are not properly guided or become disrupted it can lead to criminal behavior in the child. Likewise, children in poverty or who have altered family dynamics are more likely to experience these disruption’s to their transitions. The time of transitions is very important to development the previous transition provide a

Sampson and John H. Laub suggest the a person can outgrow their deviant or criminal behavior. Where as theorist Robert Agnew proposes the general strain theory, can determine delinquent or non-delinquent behavior. According to Sampson and Laub, age graded theory exists due to weak social bonds, insufficient parenting, and acquaintance with delinquent peers influence deviant or criminal behavior. Age-Graded Theory came about during a longitudinal study that followed 500 white delinquent male subjects paired with 500 white non-delinquent male subjects, all residing in Boston. Sampson and Laub applied the Glueck data to create their Age-Graded Theory. The study concluded in 1965, when the male subject’s average age was 32. According to the study, Sampson and Laub explained that individuals have the potential for change or continuance in the life of crime of the course of life. However, over the course of life, major events can happen that can alter one’s path. Sampson and Laub recognized three significant events that can alter the path of delinquency through life. Examples are, employment, marriage, and military enlistment.

Introduction Identifying the main reason behind the crimes committed by youths in the current world is difficult because of the socialization complexity and social mechanisms that surround the presented cases. Nevertheless, there are many reason why juveniles engage in delinquent behaviors. Some reasons can be but are not limited to one’s environment which includes family institutions, friends, schools, and social systems that may put them at-risk. Personality traits also play a critical role for antisocial behaviors, which have been known to be linked with delinquent behaviors. Despite these many factors, the punitive model of juvenile justice has been embraced in order to hold juveniles more accountable for their criminal acts and to introduce a level of punishment into juvenile justice (Taylor & Fintsch, 2015).

Many adolescents were tried as adult, therefore given them the same punishment as adult. Juvenile court reformers argued that justice system should offer treatments that cure juveniles of their antisocial ways. People believed that criminal punishments should be based on the culpability of the person as well as the harm he or she causes. Development researchers clarifies that juveniles should not be deemed as culpable as adults since they are immature, this does not mean these juveniles are innocent whose crimes should be excused, this known as the development model. People should take in consideration that teenagers and adults are different. In areas like decision making ability, future orientation, personal identity and response to peer pressure.

Critically discuss the assertion that “young people are propelled into crime through circumstances beyond their control” (Muncie, 2005, p.116).

Terrie Moffitt’s Dual Pathway theory is based on a longitudinal study of a New Zealand birth group (Walsh & Hemmens, p. 344). The data for this study was collected by scientists of various professions, allowing for testing of both psychosocial and biosocial hypotheses. Moffitt divides offenders into two categories: Adolescence-limited (AL) offenders, who largely cease offending later in life, and Life-Course-Persistent (LCP) offenders, who demonstrate stable levels of criminal activity and are characterized by “neuropsychological and temperamental deficits that are manifested in low IQ, hyperactivity, inattentiveness, negative emotionality, and low impulse control” (Walsh & Hemmens, p. 344).

Terrie E. Moffitt’s theory argues that antisocial behavior can be 1) life-course persistent offenders who spend the majority of their life exhibiting antisocial behavior and 2) adolescence-limited offenders who grow out of the antisocial behavior as they age. (Cullen & Agnew, 2011, Pg. 477) While it may be disputed that there are only two categories of antisocial individuals, Moffitt’s theory is supported by our other course readings. For example, Patricia Brennans study concluded that a lack of cognitive abilities due to

Characteristically, juvenile delinquency follows a similar path just like normal adolescent development and children tend to follow delinquent and criminal behavior rather than engaging in it randomly. Research has shown that there are two types of delinquents, those in whom the onset of severe antisocial behavior begins in early childhood, and those in whom this onset coincides with entry into adolescence. With either type, these developmental paths give families, communities, and systems the opportunity to intervene and prevent the onset of antisocial behaviors and justice system involvement (APA, 2017).