CRIM 2416 Lecture Notes - Anti-Social Behaviour
Document Summary
Race ethnic population tend to be over represented in statistics. Peer and family relations good measure of delinquency. Best measure of propensity to offend is number of variety of problem behaviours engaged in during youth. Problem behaviours include legal and illegal drug use, poor behaviour in school and occupational settings, difficulties in making and keeping friends, involvement in variety of accidents, and nose-picking. Anti-social children become anti-social teenagers become anti-social adults. Hirschi & gottfredson say that there is a strong and robust association between age and crime. Anti-social behaviour peaks in late adolescence and then declines precipitously and continuously throughout adulthood. Where hirschi and gottfredson disagree with life-course tradition is in the interpretation of the age effect. They say age has a constant effect , with very limited variability (if any) that can be attributed to changes in social roles or institutional factors.
