CRI10001: Criminology Theory and Practice - A Critical Essay

This essay critically analyzes criminological theories, particularly focusing on the life course perspective on crime development as presented by Robert Sampson and John H. Laub, and the self-control theory by Gottfredson and Hirschi. It discusses the strengths and limitations of the life course theory, including its applicability across diverse populations and the evolving nature of societal values. The essay also explores the psychological and biological approaches to understanding criminal behavior, emphasizing the role of social factors, family dynamics, and individual experiences in shaping criminal tendencies. Additionally, the essay references a meta-analysis of low self-control theory, questioning the necessity of social learning in the occurrence of crime. The conclusion highlights key factors influencing antisocial and criminal behavior, such as pre-natal conditions, impulsivity, and socio-economic factors.

Running head: CRIMINAL LAW 1
Criminology Theory and practice
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Introduction
This article provides an insight of how human behavior changes as they advance in years.
The article is written by Robert Sampson and John H. Laub on life course view on
development of crime. The authors suggest that crime provides immediate and easy
gratification. There are also three major observations that the authors make which I feel is
correct.
 The authors of this article suggest that individuals who have a weak bond with the
society are more likely to commit crimes.
 The marital status of an individual has a direct relation on whether an individual
commits crime or not. A person who is not married is more likely to commit a crime
that one who is not married.
 Delinquency can also be attributed to how a person behaves when they are adults.
Deliquency and other forms of anti social behavior were directly related to
troublesome behavior in adulthood.
Development / life course theory
This theory focuses on development stages, continuity and change of individual’s behaviors.
It focuses on an individual as a single unit and focus on analyzing the onset, frequency,
intensity and desistence of an individual criminal behavior Patterson, DeBaryshe & Ramsey
(2017). It also focuses on events and life changing situations that are the onset of an
individual decisions to criminal activities the human experience undergone through,
especially during childhood, and how they shapes an individual ultimate outcome. There are
a number of forces that shape the social trajectories of family, education and work as they

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each influence the behavior of an individual. Despite the fact that some individuals can select
their paths they want to follow, opportunities, social structures and culture provide constraints
against those paths. Such constrains include: family structures and poverty, early antisocial
tendencies among individuals, peers, siblings, exposure to media and violence etc.
Critique of the article
Although life course theory has over the years produced a basis through which human
behavior is studied, it also has its limitations. These limitations include
The article suugests the following which are the main disadvantages of the article. The life
course theory tends to differs from other psychological theories in that for instance behaviors
such not wasting food , one on one communication, trusting strangers and respect are
important to the baby boomer’s generations and the generations before them, the current
generation has placed value on being self-containment , impersonal communication through
texting, wasting resources and little or no respect on people Patterson, DeBaryshe & Ramsey
(2017).This values have shifted over the years. Parents are less involved in their children’s
life; more violence is being portrayed in the media etc. this contradicts the life course theory
since there has been a very huge shift in values.
The other weakness of the theory is the idea of individuality. Even though it can have
perceived as a positive aspect of the theory, it can also form a major disadvantage in the area
of being able to search for patterns of general behavior. For instance, in United states were
there are high levels of heterogeneity, it may be difficult to determine certain behaviors
causes Hawkins & Weis (2017).. For example, an individual’s decision to migrate maybe be
social, religious or political. A person studying this group of individuals may have a difficult
time in identifying the major cause in each individual since they all will be portraying
different pattern of behavior.

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The authors have not adequately provided evidence to link the family which is the
smallest unit of the society of an individual life to social institution and formal
organization .although it does place connection between lives and interdependence, it does
not provide clear evidence to clearly prove it, hence it has left out a vital component that
plays a part in determining human behavior.
A family is the smallest social context as a group of individuals with a common history
and often interact within the changing social setting, over changing and increasing time and
space. As such, the development theory on family level focuses on social and historical
factors with biography and development within of a family. Family resources are important in
fostering successful outcomes in individuals, this is through academic achievements, social
involvement, emotional health, financial stability etc. there are great differences between
individuals raised in a well stable family with both parents and those raised in poverty and
broken homes. Another factor is a one parent homestead , in which studies decoded a higher
risk of criminal involvement of children from such household Pratt (2016).. When
adolescents are able to do well in schools, churches and community centers, the likelihood of
them resorting to crime is almost zero. Factors for adults are family involvement, careers,
marriage and children. For instance, adults with stable careers and are directly involved with
their families are less likely to pursue criminal activities.
Life course or development theory tries to illuminate why certain individuals are more
susceptible to crime while others have less probability. If this factors are negative, they could
create a particular way of life that could lead to crime due to the interaction between the
individual and their surroundings. In most cases the factors that occur at a young stage are the
predominant influencers of crime as compared to those that occur later in life. This
interaction do not proceed in a given sequence but rather contain the sum of all individuals
life experience that changes ones decision to pursue crime.

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As an individual matures from childhood, to adolescent and adulthood, they tend to make
decisions depending on available opportunities and life strains. Individuals modify their
expectations and behavior in response to changes in their needs and availability of their
needs. Hence one might opt to crime after lack of certain resources Jennings, Pardini, Piquero
& Farrington (2016). For instance children brought up in wealthy family but the wealth does
not last may opt to crime to continue with the luxurious life.
With these contributions in mind, we estimate that the behavior Antisocial does not
depend exclusively on biology; well Moffitt (2017). warn that although biological factors are
involved in the formation of this behavior, do not determine it, by what we understand that do
not necessarily predispose towards deviation nor otherwise. Now, the biological approach to
behavior antisocial can be useful for diagnosis and treatment clinical in individuals that
present some psychic pathology.
Second article: metaanalysis of low self control
According to the article by Travis C. Pratt and Francis T. Cullen denounces the validity of
life course theory. The theory known as meta analysis of low self control by Gottfredson and
Hirchi argue that the effects of social learning variables especially antisocial and delinquent
associates need no teaching. That is, for crime to occur no positive learning is needed. They
argue that people who lack self control end up in the company of one another. Thus,
individuals in such groups end up being delinquent.
Conclusion
According to the article, there are there are factors that support developmental/ life course
theory: the pre-factors and perinatals; hyperactivity and impulsivity; low intelligence and few
knowledge; supervision, discipline and parental attitudes; homes broken, parental criminality,

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large families, socio-economic deprivation, peer influences, school influences, influences of
the community and contextual variables Hawkins & Weis (2017).
A psychological approach to the understanding of antisocial and criminal behavior If the
biological approach focused on organic factors, the psychological deals mainly with the
processes that guide behavior, intervening on the interpretation of the stimuli received and the
of decisions Patterson, DeBaryshe & Ramsey (2017).
References

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Gottfredson, M. R., & Hirschi, T. (2016). The criminal career perspective as an explanation
of crime and a guide to crime control policy: the view from general theories of crime. Journal
of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 53(3), 406-419.
Hawkins, J. D., & Weis, J. G. (2017). The social development model: An integrated approach
to delinquency prevention. In Developmental and Life-course Criminological Theories (pp.
3-27). Routledge.
Jennings, W. G., Loeber, R., Pardini, D. A., Piquero, A. R., & Farrington, D. P. (2016).
Introduction to criminal careers. In Offending from Childhood to Young Adulthood (pp. 1-3).
Springer, Cham.
Moffitt, T. E. (2017). Adolescence-limited and life-course-persistent antisocial behavior: A
developmental taxonomy. In Biosocial Theories of Crime (pp. 69-96). Routledge.
Pratt, T. C. (2016). A self-control/life-course theory of criminal behavior. European Journal
of Criminology, 13(1), 129-146.
Patterson, G. R., DeBaryshe, B. D., & Ramsey, E. (2017). A developmental perspective on
antisocial behavior. In Developmental and Life-course Criminological Theories (pp. 29-35).
Routledge.