SAGE Journal Articles

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Journal Article 1: Buikhuisen, W. (1989). Explaining juvenile delinquency from a biosocial developmental perspectiveInternational Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology33, 185–196.
Abstract: This article focuses on the persistent juvenile offender. A multidisciplinary theory is offered to explain his criminal behavior. This theory starts from the assumption that in the case of the chronic juvenile delinquent we are dealing with a failing socialization process. Factors influencing the outcome of this socialization process are discussed and analyzed from a developmental perspective. Working hypotheses are presented to help understand why some developments may lead to behavioral problems such as criminal activities, while in other cases internalization of problems can be observed. This article is an attempt at integration of existing theories concerning the persistent juvenile offender.

 

Journal Article 2: Dobash, R. P., Emerson Dobash, R., Cavanagh, K., Smith, D., & Medina-Ariza, J. (2007). Onset of offending and life course among men convicted of murderHomicide Studies11, 243–271.
Abstract: Although the developmental perspective has become a leading paradigm in criminology, little attention has been paid to the onset of offending and life course of murderers within this tradition. We use bivariate and Multiple Correspondence Analysis to investigate the life course and criminal careers of three onset groups among a UK sample of 786 men convicted of murder. The early-onset group (20% of the sample) is more likely to have experienced significant problems in childhood and adulthood. The no-offending group (10% of the sample) is the least likely to have had problematic backgrounds. The childhoods of the late-onset group (67% of the sample) resemble the no-offending group (with few problems) but in adulthood they more closely resemble the early-onset group (with many problems). The implications of these findings for developmental criminology and homicide research are discussed.

Journal Article 3: Slocum, L. A. (2010). General strain theory and continuity in offending over time: Assessing and extending GST explanations of persistence. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 26(2): 204-223.
Abstract: In 1997, Agnew stated that “new strain theories . . . should be part of any developmental theory of crime” and that “these theories point to new sources of stability and change in crime over the life course, and better help organize existing arguments in this area”; however, strain theory explanations of individual patterns of offending over the life span have garnered little attention, especially with regard to stability. This article addresses this void by assessing general strain theory (GST) explanations of persistent offending. Specifically, the author outlines the stability promoting mechanisms described by Agnew and assesses their empirical basis. Then, drawing on the sociology of stress, the author extends Agnew’s work and describes two additional ways that GST can explain persistence: past exposure to stressors and stress proliferation. These extensions move away from a reliance on trait-based explanations and instead view continuity as rooted in individual histories, dynamic processes, and social structure.