Formation of Crime: Life Paths and Turning Points

Author: Robert J. Sampson
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-11-01
Features: This book is one of the Criminal Law Translation Series and is a theoretical monograph on the study of crime formation. It covers topics such as the theory of progressive age informal social control, the revelation theory of juvenile delinquent behavior and its follow-up research, the reorganization, supplementation, and verification of data, the roles of schools, peers, and siblings, and the continuity of behavior. It is suitable for legal researchers as a reference and learning material. Crime is an urgent social issue that urgently needs more attention. The author has previously written related works, including the destructive impact of crime on society, particularly the fear it generates regarding social stability and quality of life (Sampson, 1987, 1988; Garofalo and Laub, 1978; Laub, 1983a). Given these concerns, the author proposes an empirical and theoretical framework in this book to open up new perspectives for criminal policy. Public discussions about crime are often dominated by TV shows, radio programs, forums, and other media. The author believes that these are not suitable for discussing the causes of crime and solving crime-related issues. Attempting to reduce the study of crime issues to a mere ten-second lecture is a reckless idea. In fact, the author has often been asked to do so in the past. Although the media cannot achieve this, the author believes that most citizens will understand and recognize the complexity of the crime problem through the following analysis. Sometimes these analyses may seem very discouraging, but they provide a very important foundation from which to glimpse the "big picture" of criminological research. Through this foundation, the author hopes to keep those concerned about the crime problem, as well as those like himself, optimistic, that is, that social science research can serve the formulation of criminal policy.