Stability in the Underlying Constructs of Self-Control

The stability of self-control represents a recently popular empirical topic; however, little attention has been paid to the stability of the underlying constructs of Gottfredson and Hirschi’s conception of self-control. The present study uses longitudinal data on youth residing in the northeastern United States and employs trajectory analysis to explore the presence of varying developmental trends in these constructs. The findings indicate that these constructs follow unique and varied trajectories that may help to elucidate issues with our understanding of the stability of self-control.</jats:p

Marriage as an Intervention in the Lives of Criminal Offenders

Criminology has long been interested in identifying evidence-based interventions that can help redirect criminal pathways. Although not within the purview of the criminal justice system, other nontraditional interventions have also emerged as generally effective desistance-promoting factors. One intervention in particular, marriage, is the focus of this chapter. Herein, we provide a brief overview of some of the main theoretical frameworks that have articulated a “marriage effect” of criminal desistance. Then, we provide a detailed review of the empirical literature assessing the relationship between marriage and crime. The chapter closes by offering summary conclusions as well as highlighting several directions for future research. Identifying the correlates of criminal desistance is important for theory—but is especially important for public policy (Laub and Sampson 2001). To the extent that aspects of offenders’ lives that influence continued offending can be identified and addressed, then evidence-based policies and programs can target at-risk offenders with the hope of helping to foster and/or aid in the desistance process (see Sherman et al. 2002). One particular correlate that has received much theoretical and empirical attention, though not routinely considered a criminal-justice-applied intervention, is marriage. The relationship of marriage to criminal desistance has long been recognized in the criminological literature and resonates well with many criminological frameworks—especially control theories of crime that focus on the accumulated bonds that prevent persons from offending. This chapter provides a brief overview of some of the main theoretical frameworks that have articulated a “marriage effect” of criminal desistance. This is followed by a review of the empirical literature assessing the relationship between marriage and crime. Summary conclusions and directions for future research complete the chapter

Scaling-up self-control: A macro-level investigation of self-control at the county level

Extensive prior research has documented the relationship between self-control and deviance, albeit almost exclusively at the individual level. In fact, only two recent examinations of self-control and adverse outcomes (including deviance) exist at the macro-level. In order to extend prior research, this study relies on data from all counties in the state of Texas with a population of over 10,000 residents to provide a county-level analysis of the ability of macro-level self-control to predict three outcomes: violent crime, property crime, and unemployment rates. Exploratory factor analyses supported the existence of two macro-level dimensions of self-control, e.g., initiatory and inhibitory self-control. Subsequent correlational and predictive regression analyses provided evidence of the linkages between these macro-level indicators of self-control and a number of adverse outcomes. The findings highlight the importance of continued inquiry into macro-level indicators of self-control and the role of macro-level manifestations of self-control in policy and prevention initiatives to promote crime prevention and prevent adult adjustment problems such as unemployment. •The influence of county-level self-control indicators on relevant macro-level outcomes are assessed•Measures of inhibitory and initiatory self-control exhibit varying relationships with outcomes•County-level initiatory self-control is associated with violent crime rates, property crime rates, and unemployment rates•Inhibitory self-control predicts unemployment rate

Sustaining families, dissuading crime: The effectiveness of a family preservation program with male delinquents

Purpose Family factors have long been considered an important contributor to the criminogenic process. Family Preservation (FP) programs attempt to improve family functioning and, thereby, dissuade future delinquency. Despite years of delivery, the limited research concerning the influence of FP programs on juvenile delinquency remains inconclusive.Methods This study examined the effectiveness of an FP program implemented in a metropolitan county of a large Southern state. Subjects were adjudicated male juveniles referred to the program by the courts. Recidivism outcomes for FP participants were compared against those of a simple random sample of non-participants.Results Findings suggest that FP does not impact recidivism among study participants. Issues with treatment fidelity may be responsible for the lack of results for this program.Conclusion These findings fail to lend support to the FP program. However, they do demonstrate the importance of treatment fidelity in juvenile justice programming.

Adolescence-Limited Offending

One of the strongest correlates of crime is age, with a common empirical finding of an adolescent rise and peak of offending. One theory in particular, Moffitt’s developmental taxonomy, advances a specific hypothesis for the age–crime relationship, with a focus on a specific typology of offenders, adolescence-limited, who offend for specific reasons during adolescence. This chapter reviews the adolescence-limited hypothesis, relevant empirical research, and concludes with summary statements, challenges to Moffitt’s adolescence-limited hypothesis, and directions for future research

A systematic review of age, sex, ethnicity, and race as predictors of violent recidivism

Recidivism of released prisoners, especially violent recidivism, is an important policy issue. Equally important is an understanding of how demographic risk factors may act as moderators of recidivism. Knowledge of such relationships is important in developing a deeper theoretical understanding of the risk of recidivism as well as identifying points of intervention that may need to be re-oriented to reduce recidivism. The present study conducts a meta-analytic review of the violent recidivism literature focusing on the role of several demographic risk factors. Findings show that age, sex, and race (Whites) were significantly related to violent recidivism. Implications and directions for future research are identified

Stability in aggression revisited

Research on the stability of aggression tends to show patterns of continuity and to a lesser extent discontinuity. In this study, we provide a review of research published in four specific journals that target the stability of aggression across distinct periods of the life course. Findings from these studies identify considerable support for both instability and stability of aggression, but with some unique findings related to aggression among females as well as adult-onset aggression. The review closes with an original empirical analysis using longitudinal data from the Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development linking teacher-rated aggression in childhood/adolescence to official conviction records in mid-adulthood, the findings of which suggest a strong degree of continuity in aggression/antisocial behavior among the most aggressive youths/chronic offenders. Conclusions and directions for future research are also discussed

A meta-analysis update on the effectiveness of early self-control improvement programs to improve self-control and reduce delinquency

To update Piquero et al.'s (Justice Quarterly 27:803-834, 2010) meta-analysis on early self-control improvement programs. Screening of eligible studies was carried out for the period between January 2010 and September 2015. An additional seven studies were identified, which were added to the original database of 34 studies, totaling an overall sample of 41 eligible studies. A random effects model was used to obtain an overall mean effect size estimate. Additional analyses were performed to assess publication bias and moderation. Overall average, positive, and significant effect sizes were observed for improving self-control (0.32) and reducing delinquency (0.27). There was evidence of publication bias for the self-control improvement outcomes, as well as some evidence of moderation for both self-control improvement and delinquency outcomes. Early self-control improvement programs are an effective evidence-based strategy for improving self-control and reducing delinquency

Does prison strain lead to prison misbehavior? An application of general strain theory to inmate misconduct

Purpose: This paper applies macro-micro General Strain Theory (GST) to predict prisoner misconduct. It is hypothesized that prison-based strain will adversely affect inmates and increase their misconduct. Methods: Data from a large southern state are used to examine how environmental strain measured at the prison level influence inmates' violent misconduct. Analyses will include a group-based trajectory model on monthly counts of violent misconduct for the first three years of incarceration and assess whether the strain of the environment (using a latent measure of prison deprivation as a proxy for environmental strain) distinguishes between trajectories. The analysis will employ finite multilevel mixture modeling with environmental strain as both a within- and between-class predictor, but at the prison level. Results: Findings suggest that prison strain is positively associated with prison misconduct; however, the magnitude of the effect varies across distinct inmate trajectories. Conclusions: Theoretical and practical implications are highlighted as are directions for future research. [Copyright Elsevier Ltd.