Chapter 13: Life-Course and Developmental Theories in Criminology

David P. Farrington

Life-course and developmental theories in criminology Developmental and life-course criminology (DLC) is concerned mainly with three topics: (a) the development of offending and antisocial behaviour from the womb to the tomb; (b) the influence of risk and protective factors at different ages; and (c) the effects of life events on the course of development. In this chapter, I will first briefly review the current state of knowledge on these topics, then I will briefly review seven major DLC theories, and finally I will present my own DLC theory, called the Integrated Cognitive-Antisocial Potential (ICAP) theory. DLC theories aim to explain offending by individuals (as opposed to crime rates of areas, for example). ‘Offending’ refers to the most common crimes of theft, burglary, robbery, violence, vandalism, minor fraud, and drug use, and to behaviour that in principle might lead to a conviction in Western industrialized societies such as the United States ...

Users without subscription are not able to see the full content on this title. Please, subscribe or login to access all content on this website.

• Buy The Book