Crime and the Life Course

<P>In recent years, the lifecourse perspective has become a popular theoretical orientation toward crime. Yet despite its growing importance in the field of criminology, most textbooks give it only cursory treatment. <EM>Crime and the Lifecourse: An Introduction</EM> by Michael L. Benson provides a comprehensive overview of contemporary research and theory on the life-course approach to crime. The book emphasizes a conceptual understanding of this approach. A special feature is the integration of qualitative and quantitative research on criminal life histories. This book:</P><UL><P><LI>provides an overview of the life course approach and describes the major concepts and issues in lifecourse theory as it applies to criminology</LI><P></P><P><LI>reviews evidence on biological and genetic influences on crime</LI><P></P><P><LI>reviews research on the role of the family in crime and juvenile delinquency</LI><P></P><P><LI>provides a detailed discussion of the criminological lifecourse theories of Moffitt, Hagan, Sampson and Laub, and others</LI><P></P><P><LI>discusses the connections between youthful crime and adult outcomes in education, occupation, and marriage</LI><P></P><P><LI>presents an application of the lifecourse approach to white-collar crime</LI><P></P><P><LI>discusses how macro sociological and historical developments have influenced the shape of the lifecourse in American society as it relates to patterns in crime.</LI></UL>