Life coarse theories

Life coarse theories

Life coarse theories emphasize different issues as being at the core of why persons do, and then often later do not, engage in criminal behavior. (p.79) There is much emphasis on the social world and the influences on individuals that come from outside the person.

One of the most influential psychological theories is Moffitt's developmental theory, which focuses on issues about the indiviaul's neurological system related to psychology. Terrie Moffitt argues that there are two basic varities of offenders: those who engage in crime/deviance only while they are young (adolescents) and those who begin their criminality during adolscence and reamin involved in criminal activities. Moffitt's theory presents a "taxonomy", refering to the fact that there are different types of criminals and their origins as well as activity have different characterisitics.

The first type is the "life-course persistent" offender who will engage in high levels of crime throughout the life course from a very early age, with noticable problems with hyperactivity, poor school performance, and impulsiveness. A continually difficult person for other people to deal with without loosing their patient. This offender requires little or no peer influence or status frustration to engage in crime. Moffitt states that the “lifetime problem with crime originates with neuropsychology deficits arising from a faulty brain development before birth and in early life.” The symptoms of neuropsychology deficits often go undiagnosed during childhood because they are too subtle, and as a result parents and caregivers of the child become more negative towards them, further isolating them and entrenching antisocial behavior habits.
The second type of offender is the “adolescent-limited” , who engages in high levels of crime only temporarily, for a period of a few years during adolescence. They commit crime when it is in their self-interest to do so and they are able to stop when conformity looks more...