Violent Criminal Careers and "Violent Career Criminals" (From Violent Crime, Violent Criminals, P 35-138, 1989, Alan Weiner and Marvin E Wolfgang, eds. - See NCJ-118975)

• NCJ Number: 118977
• Author(s): N A Weiner
• Date Published: 1989
• Length: 104 pages
• Sale Source: Sage Publications, Inc
• Publication Type: Literature Review
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This literature review examines some of the structural and behavioral features of the individual violent criminal career, based on the development of dynamic statistical profiles of individual violent criminal careers and their outcomes.

Abstract

Findings show that relatively few people at risk of accumulating official records for seriously violent behavior in fact accumulate such records, regardless of whether the juvenile years, the adult years, or both are considered. However, substantially larger numbers of people report having taken part in seriously violent behaviors that were not officially reported. Cumulative and current violence rates appear to increase over the juvenile and young adult years and then to decline. In addition, the first officially recorded violent offense in the criminal career is most likely to occur in late adolescence and early adulthood. However, the age patterns in the rates of individual crime are unclear. Findings also suggest the major difficulties involved in trying to predict which individuals will become violent career criminals. However, intervention strategies can be tailored to address specific stages in and dynamics of the unfolding individual violent criminal career. Recommendations for further research, tables, notes, and 74 references.