IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jcjust/v96y2025ics0047235224002009.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The developmental sequences of events underlying persistence in criminal convictions during adulthood

Author

Listed:
  • Basto-Pereira, Miguel
  • Jolliffe, Darrick
  • Farrington, David P.

Abstract

The relationship between multiple vulnerabilities experienced and accumulated during development, and later life-course persistent offending trajectories is well-established. However, no studies have yet systematically examined how the sequences in which these vulnerabilities are experienced may influence the persistence of criminal behaviour into adulthood. Therefore, this work investigated how the sequences in which risk factors were experienced may contribute to accruing adult criminal convictions among males with justice involvement during adolescence. To this end, we employed the rich and detailed Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development, a longitudinal study that followed 411 boys from South London from age 8 to age 61. Using an innovative methodological approach, the sequences of risk factors experienced at ages 8–10, 12–14, and 16–18 were mapped and analysed as predictors of adult convictions. Childhood vulnerabilities such as parenting-related problems, low attainment, and risk-taking behaviour at ages 8–10 emerged as key starting points for the developmental sequences leading to adult convictions. At ages 12–14, hyperactivity and low IQ were identified as significant risk factors, followed by school failure and sexual promiscuity at ages 16–18. A very small number of prevalent sequences of risk factors appeared to promote the continuity of convictions from adolescence into adulthood. Our findings suggest that enhancing parenting strategies and fostering school success may prevent the cascade of risk factors promoting life-course persistent offending trajectories. At the transition to adulthood, the most common risk factors and crime-predictive sequences seem to undermine key opportunities for earlier crime desistance.

Suggested Citation

  • Basto-Pereira, Miguel & Jolliffe, Darrick & Farrington, David P., 2025. "The developmental sequences of events underlying persistence in criminal convictions during adulthood," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:jcjust:v:96:y:2025:i:c:s0047235224002009
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2024.102351
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0047235224002009
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2024.102351?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jcjust:v:96:y:2025:i:c:s0047235224002009. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jcrimjus .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.