Review of Related Research

Abstract

In the previous two chapters we demonstrated that research on criminal careers, despite some unfavorable criticism, has been a viable part of the research enterprise of criminology since the early days of the Chicago School and it has continued until the present. We also showed how longitudinal approaches to the study of delinquent and criminal careers, in which subjects are followed over a substantial portion of the life course, have come to dominate the criminal career agenda. Moreover, we have also demonstrated that there are significant issues concerning theory development and criminal justice policy formulation that attend research on criminal careers. In particular, we have argued that one of the most significant areas of inquiry concerns the life course perspective, in which interest centers on the transition from the status of youth to that of adult, and the accompanying transition from the venue of delinquent behaviors to that of adult criminality.