6 - Criminal behavior in adulthood (L6, Rodermond, Copp)

Question 1

Definition Desistance (HC)

Answer 1

The absence of an event; it is a gradual process that occurs over time. If offending is reduced from a nonzero level to a stable rate empirically indistinguishable from zero.

Question 2

What are turning points? (HC)

Answer 2

Initiate and sustain change (e.g. marriage, employment)

Question 3

What plays a role in desistance according to Sampson & Laub? (HC)

Answer 3

Informal social control. They highlight that the events/changes are mostly external to the person. This could be attachment or commitmen to others, or triggering events.

Question 4

What are critqiues of turning points? (HC)

Answer 4

• They overplay the role of social bonds and attachments.
• What about causal order?

Question 5

What are the four steps of the cognitive transformation theory (Giordano; HC)

Answer 5

1. Openness to change: motivation
2. Encounter a salient hook for change: something that initiates behavioral change (eg marriage, employment)
3. Creating a new conventional ‘replacement’ of the self: after a hook for change, individual will change identity
4. Changing views about crime and a criminal lifestyle

Question 6

What is very important according to Giordano in desistance? (HC)

Answer 6

Agency and motivation.

Question 7

What means ‘knifing off from the past’ (Elder; HC)

Answer 7

The cycle of disadvantage can be broken by ‘knifing off’ the unwanted past. New life transitions into different environments assist this process by establishing potential turninig points for a troubled life course.

Question 8

What is an important thing related to knifing off the past? (HC)

Answer 8

Scripts for new roles: individuals must find out new behavioral scripts, including norms and patterns of behavior and unknown situations and fewer behavioral scripts.

Question 9

What is ‘the good marriage effect’? (HC)

Answer 9

The finding that criminal activity is significantly lower during marriage. Also linked to other variables of well being (eg morality, alcohol use, mental health, employment).

Question 10

What is critique on the good marriage effect? (HC)

Answer 10

• There seems to be a gender difference; for women, a family is more important than the marriage itself
• There is an exogenous, independent effect (Sampson & Laub): good things sometimes happen to bad actors

Question 11

What are the gender effects with parenthood as a turning point? (HC)

Answer 11

Woman have a stronger identity shift (motherhood), because they are more involved in child rearing. There are hooks for change, the transformative self and prosocial networks.

Question 12

What is ‘the full family effect’? (HC)

Answer 12

Combination of marriage and parenthood. Strongest effect on male offending through more attachment, other routine activities, identity.

Question 13

What is the ‘revisted term of deterrence’? (HC)

Answer 13

Threat or application of sanctions used to discourage criminal acts. Likelihood depends on the certainty, severity and switftness of punishment.
- Certainty/swiftness: People are less likely to commit a crime if they know they will definitely be caught and punished quickly.
- Severity: he harshness of the punishment matters. Longer prison sentences or stricter conditions can make potential criminals think twice before breaking the law.

Question 14

What is an intended effect of prison? (HC)

Answer 14

Crime control

Question 15

What are the four mechanisms by which imprisonments reduces crime? (HC)

Answer 15

1. General deterrence
2. Specific deterrence
3. Rehabilitation
4. Incapacitation

Question 16

Defintion General deterrence (HC)

Answer 16

the possibility of going to jail stops many people from breaking the law. Threat of imprisonment affects cost-benefit calculations for everyone, and people change their behavior on this threat.

Question 17

Defintion Specific deterrence (HC)

Answer 17

going to prison often makes individuals realize how bad it is, making them think twice about committing more crimes after they’re released. Imprisonment affects an individuals future behavior; e.g. individuals who go to prison see that they dont like it in there, and they update their cost-benefit calculations, which cause them to be less likely to commit another crime.

Question 18

Defintion Rehabilitation (HC)

Answer 18

Prisons provide programs for treating underlying risk factors (eg drug treatment, cognitive processes traning, job training etc.). Affects individuals propensity to commit crime.

Question 19

Definition Incapacitation (HC)

Answer 19

This is basically that imprisonment takes ‘would-be offenders’ out of general population. Doesnt change anything about these individuals.

Question 20

What is the deterrence effect? (HC)

Answer 20

Difficult to say whether imprisonment really helps to deter crime.

Question 21

Does imprisonment have a criminogenic effect? (HC)

Answer 21

Yes. Putting people in prison can sometimes make them more likely to commit crimes again. Research suggests that being in prison doesn’t decrease reoffending much, and in some cases, it might even increase the chances of committing more crimes, compared to other forms of punishment like probation.

Question 22

What can be aspects that influence desistance? (WG)

Answer 22

Identity changes, shifts in motivation, cognitive transformation, housing, romantic relationships, bond with parents, social support, employment, affiliation with prosocial peers.

Question 23

What can be possible gender differences in desistance? (WG)

Answer 23

Labor market chances, effect of children, having children, good marriage, most likely to be single parent.

Question 24

What is the article of Rodermond about?

Answer 24

Investigated factors influencing womens reentry into society after being released from prison and their ability to abstain from criminal activities (desistance).

Question 26

What is important in stopping criminal behavior? (Rodermond)

Answer 26

Subjective personal changes like how you see yourself, your motivations, and how you think are crucial before you can gain new social connections or strengthen existing ones.

Question 27

What are limitations about the framework of stopping crminal behavior where personal changes occur before gaining new social connections or strengthen existing ones? (Rodermond)

Answer 27

1. We don’t fully understand how women leaving prison transition from wanting to change to creating a stable life after release.
2. It’s not clear how personal and social factors influence each other in this process.
3. We don’t know which specific factors are absolutely necessary for successful reintegration and staying away from crime after release.

Question 28

What do Sampson & Laub state about social capital, identity and post-release circumstances? (Rodermond)

Answer 28

When people have strong connections with positive social institutions like schools or workplaces, they are less likely to engage in criminal activities. Building new positive relationships gives individuals something valuable to lose, and the time spent in these activities reduces the opportunities for criminal behavior. In essence, having strong social ties acts as a deterrent against engaging in crime.

Question 29

Vul in (Rodermond). Both perspectives (Sampson and Laub & Giordano) suggest that various life events can lead to desistance through …(1) and …(2) transformations.

Answer 29

1: social
2: cognitive

Question 30

In what way do desisters see themselves different than persisters? (Rodermond)

Answer 30

Desisters create a new self-image where they are not offenders. By changing how they view themselves, these individuals can successfully stop engaging in CB. This process of reshaping their identity helps them quit committing crimes.

Question 31

What does ‘crystallization of discontent’ mean? (Rodermond)

Answer 31

Criminals are getting tired of their ciminal life. This leads them to imagine a possible future self that stays away from crime and eventually act according this new self.

Question 32

What might block opportunities for women, who just got out of prison, to benefit from forms of social capital (Rodermond)

Answer 32

Housing, family life, meantal health problems, employment and acquiring a (stable) income. Finding houses is one of the biggest problems. Because of these disadvantages, it is possible that they get back in crime.

Question 33

How did motherhood influence change/desistance? (Rodermond)

Answer 33

It inspired positive change. But financial struggles and unstable family situations hindered the progress. Desisting mothers actively tackled issues, with support, directly impacting their desistance and strengten bond with children. Support lowered obstacles.

Question 34

How did employment influence change/desistance? (Rodermond)

Answer 34

Individuals factors plays a big role. Desisters actively sought jobs for personal transformation, leading to positive changes. Employment provided structure, pride and new identity.

Question 35

How did housing, drug use and financial difficulties influence change/desistance? (Rodermond)

Answer 35

Most struggle with unstable housing, resorting to shelters or the streets. Drug addiction persists, often linked to CB. Financial problems are common, with persisters facting consequences like homelessness and protitution, while desisters receive help from programs or family.

Question 36

What did the article of Rodermond found with marriage as a contributing factor to desistance?

Answer 36

Marriage alone did NOT contribute significantly to desistance; women were more likely to offend during the periods where they were marries, especially marriage of low quality.

Question 37

What did the article of Rodermond found with having children as a contributing factor to desistance?

Answer 37

Did NOT show a significant effect on desistance.

Question 38

What did the article of Rodermond found with employment as a contributing factor to desistance?

Answer 38

Whilde overall employment was negatively related to the likelihood of offending, the study found that this effect was influenced by underlying factors.

Question 39

What are the two variables with consistent effects on offending behavior? (Rodermond)

Answer 39

Age and receiving income support for homeslessness. Woman are more likely to offend at a younger age and during periods when they received financial assistance for homeslessness.

Question 40

What is the article of Copp et al. about?

Answer 40

While marriage and employment are key adult experiences, the exclusive focus on these two domains does NOT result in a complete portrait of the adult life course or of the nature of desistance processes. They investigate the role of parents and peers as influences on individuals’ self-reported criminal behavior across the transition to adulthood, recognizing that transition events and subjective changes (such as shifts in identity) are important to an understanding of behavior change.

Question 41

What happend with the shift from external factors to individual factors in desistance? (Copp)

Answer 41

S&L highlighted external factors in explaining desistance. Research now is more focussed on individual factors (self-identity and thinking patterns; cognitive transformations) as important reasons for desistance.

Question 42

What is the trend in marriage right now? (Copp)

Answer 42

Living together without marriage is more common. Shifting away from traditional marriage towards couples choosing to live together without formalizing their relationship through marriage.

Question 43

What is fundamental in understanding why people stop committing crimes according to previous studies in Copp?

Answer 43

Shift in self-perception: individuals become dissatisfied with their old, criminal lifestyle and develop a new, more positive and socially responsible identity.

Question 44

What does Warr posits about marriage-desistance? (Copp)

Answer 44

The marriage-desistance link could be partially explained by decreases in peer socializing among married individuals.

Question 45

Why do family characteristics/backgrounds have long-term or lingering effects on desistance? (Copp)

Answer 45

1. A family climate that includes these experiences may have a direct impact, not only on initial forays into delinquent territory but also on the odds of continuing criminal behavior patterns.
2. These experiences and the family instability and discord that often connect to them decrease the odds that the child will be successful in areas that traditionally support crime cessation (e.g. full time employment).
3. Antisocial family backgrounds may play a role as it channels and constrains the child’s own social network experiences, which may heighten the risk of continued involvement with delinquent peers.

Question 46

Why isnt it easy to shift to a new identity? (Copp)

Answer 46

The new self may not be
a. automatic, easy to obtain or to sustain
b. often requires the buy-in of other who are integral to its successful enactment

Question 47

How does parental support/closeness influence self-reported crime? (Copp)

Answer 47

Increases in parental support was significantly associated with observed declines in self-reported crime, net of marriage and employment status and the identity changes.

Question 48

How does decreased involvement with delinquent peers influence self-reported crime? (Copp)

Answer 48

significantly associated with observed declines in self-reported crime, net of marriage and employment status and the identity changes.

Question 49

What does the study of Copp say about early antisocial family climate?

Answer 49

Longterm consequences of growing up in an antisocial family structure constrain the individuals later social ties, which in turn influences delinquency.

Question 50

What was a limitation of the study of Copp?

Answer 50

One limitation of this current study is that the measures of identity were limited, and the measures of social relationships, identities and offending were contemporaneous, thus the temporal ordering of these factors can’t be established.