CRJU 591C Lecture 5: Age-Crime Curve Lecture Day 3 1.25
5 Jul 2018
Department
Course
Professor
Age-Crime Curve
Lecture Outline
Gottfredson and Hirschi
Invariance hypothesis: Age crime relationship is pretty much the same for all offenders in all
times and places and is largely unaffected by life events that occur after childhood.
Offenders differ in degree, not kind: All going to follow the same exact path maybe just at
different level or propensity
find more resources at oneclass.com
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Age 8-10 the innate propensity is typically set.
Prevalence (participation) = incidence (frequency)
Make argument that both are interchangeable.
Aggregate Crime rate: total amount of crime/ total population (offenders and non-offenders)
Top part is frequency. Bottom is participation.
Aggregate Crime rate: prevalence/ participation, and incidence/ frequency (lambda)
Gottfredson and Hirschi
1. Age explains crime over time
2. Age and propensity explain differences in crime
3. Life course events CANNOT explain the age effect (people just inevitably age out of
crime)
So… Criminal career research is unnecessary
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Invariance hypothesis: age crime relationship is pretty much the same for all offenders in all times and places and is largely unaffected by life events that occur after childhood. Offenders differ in degree, not kind: all going to follow the same exact path maybe just at different level or propensity. Age 8-10 the innate propensity is typically set. Aggregate crime rate: total amount of crime/ total population (offenders and non-offenders) Aggregate crime rate: prevalence/ participation, and incidence/ frequency (lambda) Gottfredson and hirschi: age explains crime over time, age and propensity explain differences in crime, life course events cannot explain the age effect (people just inevitably age out of crime) Are more offenders ending their careers and ceasing to commit crimes altogether (change in participation) Incidence/frequency: males and females have similar frequencies, the relationship between age and frequency is still not certain.
