NCJ Number
206291
Journal
Theoretical Criminology Volume: 8 Issue: 2 Dated: May 2004 Pages: 123-156
Date Published
2004
Length
34 pages
Annotation
Following a literature review on factors involved in the trajectory of a criminal career, this paper uses two case studies of men in the process of a conscious reduction in their criminal activities in order to analyze their underlying behavioral motivations.
Abstract
The literature yielded three main conclusions. First, the "risk-based" criminal careers literature is so preoccupied with statistical prerogatives that it often makes generalizations that are either vague or not typical of any actual case. Second, the life-course perspective, although drawing attention to the contingencies of work and family life, has failed to focus on the gendered nature of men's roles and identities within these spheres; hence, it is often devoid of an analysis of power, wider social consequences, and the complexity of the meanings that social and personal relationships have for various people. Third, much of criminology's "masculinities" literature assumes such a close affinity between gender and crime that it is difficult to view male offenders as anything but criminals unless the resources available to them change radically. Drawing upon the insights of Hollway (1989), Jefferson (1997a), and Maruna (2001), this paper hypothesizes that how and why male offenders change depends on their psychological investments in and attachments to certain relationships, institutions, and social discourses, as well as the corroborating experiences of recognition and empowerment that result from each individual's experiences in these social configurations. The two case studies of male offenders (burglary and theft) presented in this paper focus on their life stories and current commitment to apparently successful efforts to reduce their criminal behavior. The hypothesis of this paper is confirmed in the case studies in showing that behaviors, whether criminal or law-abiding, stem from the interaction of individual traits and psychological patterns with the characteristics and experiences of social interactions in various time periods. Psychosocial dynamics thus determine the pattern of each criminal's life story. 12 notes and 98 references