Crime in the Making

Pathways and Turning Points Through Life

Bibliographic Data

ID19601149
AuthorsRobert J Sampson (0000-0003-4259-8146, University of Chicago, corresponding author), John H Laub
Year1993
Volume39
Issue3
Pages396-396
Publication date1993-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueCrime & Delinquency (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0011-1287 • E-ISSN: 1552-387X
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/0011128793039003010
OpenAlexW2061165131
LanguageEN
Citations received1.131

This explanation of crime and deviance over the life course is based on the re-analysis of a classic set of data: Sheldon and Eleanor Glueck's mid-century study of 500 delinquents and 500 non-delinquents from childhood to adulthood. More than five years ago, Robert Sampson and John Laub dusted off 60 cartons of the Gluecks' data that had been stored in the basement of the Harvard Law School and undertook a lengthy process of recoding, computerizing, and reanalyzing it. On the basis of their findings, Sampson and Laub developed a theory of informal social control over the life course which integrates three ideas. First, social bonds to family and school inhibit delinquency in childhood and adolescence. Second, there is continuity in antisocial and deviant behaviour from childhood through adulthood across various dimensions, such as crime, alcohol abuse, divorce and unemployment. And finally, despite these continuities, attachment to the labour force and cohesive marriage sharply mitigate criminal activities. Sampson and Laub thus acknowledge the importance of childhood behaviours and individual differences, but reject the implication that adult social factors have little relevance. They seek to account for both stability and change in crime and deviance throughout the life course. Crime in the making challenges several major ideas found in contemporary theory and aims to provide an important new foundation for rethinking criminal justice policy

Computer security · Criminology · Computer Science · Crime Patterns and Interventions · Crime, Illicit Activities, and Governance · Psychology

Tools

Open DOISci-Hub