Developmental Taxonomy : Theory Of Crime

The same psychiatrist, Johnathan H. Pincus examined 14 other death row inmates who had murdered when they were under the age of 18 and realized that they all had the same factors of neurologic damage, abuse, and paranoid thinking (Pincus, 29). A study done by Lisa Marshall and David Cooke shows the differences between the childhoods of psychopath criminals and non-psychopath criminals. They used the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised and the Childhood Experience of Care and Abuse to show how much the environment your surrounded with as a child can affect your adult life. Not only did they study the results of familial childhood factors such as neglect, physical abuse, and psychological abuse but they also looked into societal factors such as negative school experience and negative school performance. Results showed that “Inadequate or incompetent parenting leads to insecure attachment bonding that forecasts low levels of empathy, compliance, cooperation and self control.” (Lykken,199). The most obvious differences in the childhoods of psychopath criminals and non-psychopath criminals were in parental discipline, parental neglect, and negative school performance. (Marshall and Cooke, The Childhood experiences of psychopaths). Another environmental factor that should

The merging of the traditional criminological theories sparked a revolution of sorts in criminological thinking. With the benefit of referencing traditional theories, lifecycle theorists were able to apply these perspectives across an individual’s life through longitudinal studies focusing on adolescent social environment and constructive social control/ bonds through adulthood can be linked to deviance (Lilly, Cullen, Ball, 2015).

The determinate sentencing system provides juvenile judges with tremendous flexibility in ensuring that offenders are held accountable for their crimes, that public safety is protected, and that youth have the opportunity to become rehabilitated and turn their lives around. Determinate sentencing, under some circumstances, also provides juvenile judges with the opportunity to take a “second look” at the youth when he or she reaches adult age, so that the judge can re-evaluate the youth’s risk to public safety at that point (Deitch, 2011).

“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.

According to (Juvenile Offender) young people today are more malleable and can be easily influenced. It is mainly believed that the criminal actions by young offenders might be influenced by such external forces such as parental neglect, and inappropriate living conditions or with relations within their family. It is important to note that instead of seeing a rehab program as a form of punishment. Young people who are undergoing such a program should understand they are voluntary and should consider the program as a positive opportunity to change their lives for the better.

Juvenile delinquents have created a subculture that provides them with motives, reasons, and justifications that enable them to account for their involvement in proscribed activities. Within this subculture they have developed a rational to justify their misdeeds, during times when they are brought under scrutiny by police, courts etc. For instance, when youth engage in a crime, and are charged with a criminal offense, they deny their involvement. What youth fail to realize, is that as they engage in criminal acts, they disrupt the fabric of society.

Life-Course Persistent offenders are anti-social at an early age and continue to be antisocial through adulthood. The continuation of antisocial behavior will indicate who will be a life-course persistent offender. This theory explains why individuals continue to offend based on biological differences they have during adolescence as well as why these individuals commit most of the offenses in adulthood. Life-Course Persistent theory takes into account different traits, environment, and developmental processes. There is an ongoing relationship between personal trains and environments contexts (Moffitt 1993).

Juvenile delinquency refers specifically to the criminal activity of youth. Juvenile delinquency includes committing crimes and participation in other forms of illegal activities. Across the world, the existing legal systems have different sets of punishments and penalties for juvenile delinquency versus being tried as an adult. (Loeber, 1990) In many countries, the age when individuals are no longer classified as juveniles as may be tried for crimes as adults is in the latter part of adolescence and early adulthood. There is more than one type of juvenile delinquency. Furthermore, there are typically two types of juvenile offenders. Juvenile delinquency is classified as a status offense, criminal behavior, and delinquency. Each type of delinquency is enforced or dealt with in specific levels of court. Juvenile offenders are either repeat offenders or age specific offenders. Repeat offenders are obviously more likely to become long term criminals while age specific offenders participate in criminal activities as an expression of the particular stage of human development in which they occupy, i.e. adolescence. Risk factors in juvenile delinquency include class, style of parenting, and gender. (Loeber, 1990)

In conclusion there are two different types of prisoners Adolescent-Limited and Lifelong Persistent. Adolescent-Limited are the people who change their life around when released, while Lifelong Persistent does not ever learn their lesson and continues to live the lifestyle of a prisoner. Also, Security issues are the main issues going on prisons today, from fights to death over gang related activities. Once released out of prisons, convicts that are Lifelong

We can call a label, or define it as; a mark, name, or even badge.

Moffit’s taxonomy (1993) lacks a fundamental concept that would be a clarifying of rebellious behaviour (Farrington, 2006). Consequently presents her theory with numerous notions that influences that particular behaviour as the “neuropsychology deficits” for the life-course-persistent and the “maturity gap” for the Adolescences-limited (Moffitt, 1993). Thus, these findings are in need of different theoretical expectations. On the other hand, Sampson and Laub propose an exceptional framework to enlighten antisocial behaviour, focusing on all behavioural manifestations (Farrington, 2006) and not two classes of offenders as Moffitt theory models. “If no underlying construct is proposed, it seems likely that a more complex theory might be needed involving different factors influencing different types of antisocial behaviour” words from Farrington (2006, p.345) clarification of some implications of Moffitt taxonomy theory. Even though there are many critics to the theory, Moffitt has an extremely detailed theory with solid features and aspects with predictions for each group of offenders, thus her to achieve a significant level (Sampson and Laub, 2005). According to Moffitt some individuals are presumed to be fated to a life of antisocial behaviour with practically no escape and not evidently supported by any empirical evidence.

Sampson & Laub (1993) focus on how delinquency arises in specific life span phases. They examine what they call “the stages of life course.” The examination of an individual’s history and early life gives rise to the reasons behind their engagement in delinquency. Furthermore, the theory explicitly explains why some individuals are more prone to pursue the criminal life than others.

Developmental criminology is the study of criminal behaviour and the circumstances or conditions that foster this behaviour in the course of a life of a human being, through age, the growth process, family background, and socialisation. Professionals in various fields of the law and psychiatric departments have an understanding of developmental criminology in order to understand and rehabilitate individuals with deviant and criminal behaviour. Through this, they can properly handle, access and manage criminal at a young age and in all ages and try to correct criminal activity and intent in all aspects (Tucker, 2017).

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).

On the other hand, Moffitt (1993) also identifies adolescent-limited as part of the adolescent offenders. Adolescent-limited antisocial behaviour is defined by antisocial behaviour that starts occurring during adolescence and discontinues at the beginning of adulthood. These individuals have no history of antisocial behaviour in their childhood and are unlikely to continue this behaviour in the future. They are also not consistent with their antisocial behaviour in different situations. While life-course-persistent individuals act antisocially in all situations, changing their type of antisocial behaviour to fit the circumstances, adolescent-limited individuals might only express antisocial behaviours in certain situations, but not in others.