IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v18y2021i11p6010-d568230.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Age-Graded Transitions and Turning Points in Polish Offenders’ Criminal Careers from the Standpoint of Life Course Theory

Author

Listed:
  • Krzysztof Pękala

    (Department of Medical Psychology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Lodz, 90-419 Lodz, Poland)

  • Andrzej Kacprzak

    (Department of Applied Sociology and Social Work, Faculty of Economics and Sociology, University of Lodz, 90-136 Lodz, Poland)

  • Piotr Chomczyński

    (Department of Sociology of Organization and Management, Faculty of Economics and Sociology, University of Lodz, 90-136 Lodz, Poland)

  • Jakub Ratajczak

    (Department of Management and Logistics in Healthcare, Medical University of Lodz, 90-419 Lodz, Poland)

  • Michał Marczak

    (Department of Management and Logistics in Healthcare, Medical University of Lodz, 90-419 Lodz, Poland)

  • Remigiusz Kozłowski

    (Center of Security Technologies in Logistics, Faculty of Management, University of Lodz, 90-136 Lodz, Poland)

  • Dariusz Timler

    (Department of Emergency Medicine and Disaster Medicine, Medical University of Lodz, 90-419 Lodz, Poland)

  • Anna Pękala-Wojciechowska

    (Department of Clinical Pharmacology, First Chair of Internal Diseases, Medical University of Lodz, 90-419 Lodz, Poland)

  • Paweł Rasmus

    (Department of Medical Psychology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Lodz, 90-419 Lodz, Poland)

Abstract

Both juvenile and adult criminal careers show regularities in the origins of delinquency, the dynamics of the criminal pathway, and the turning points that lead to desistance/persistence in crime. Research shows that family, education, and friendship environments contribute significantly to the individual choices that create criminal biographies. Our aim was to apply core aspects of life course theory (LCT): trajectory, the aged-graded process, transitions, institutions, and ultimately how desistance/persistence factor into explaining the criminal careers of Polish offenders. The research is based on in-depth interviews (130) carried out with both offenders (90) and experts (40). The offenders were divided into two groups: 30 were juveniles, and 60 were adults of whom half were sentenced for the first time (30) and half were recidivists (30) located in correctional institutions or released. The experts group (40) includes psychologists, educators, social rehabilitators, and prison and juvenile detention personnel working with offenders. We used triangulation of researcher, data, and methodology. Our data revealed that similar biographical experiences characterized by an early socialization, family and friends-based circles laid the groundwork for their entry and continued participation in criminal activity. Juvenile and adult first-time sentenced offenders led criminal careers significantly different from those of recidivists, who faced problems with social adaptation caused by lack of family and institutional support.

Suggested Citation

  • Krzysztof Pękala & Andrzej Kacprzak & Piotr Chomczyński & Jakub Ratajczak & Michał Marczak & Remigiusz Kozłowski & Dariusz Timler & Anna Pękala-Wojciechowska & Paweł Rasmus, 2021. "Age-Graded Transitions and Turning Points in Polish Offenders’ Criminal Careers from the Standpoint of Life Course Theory," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(11), pages 1-11, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:11:p:6010-:d:568230
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/11/6010/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/11/6010/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Piotr A Chomczyński & Roger Guy, 2021. "‘Our biographies are the same’: Juvenile Work in Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations from the Perspective of a Collective Trajectory," The British Journal of Criminology, Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, vol. 61(4), pages 946-964.
    2. Wickramasekera, Nyantara & Wright, Judy & Elsey, Helen & Murray, Jenni & Tubeuf, Sandy, 2015. "Cost of crime: A systematic review," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 43(3), pages 218-228.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Blesse, Sebastian & Diegmann, André, 2019. "Police reorganization and crime: Evidence from police station closures," Working Papers 07/2019, German Council of Economic Experts / Sachverständigenrat zur Begutachtung der gesamtwirtschaftlichen Entwicklung.
    2. Anna Pękala-Wojciechowska & Andrzej Kacprzak & Krzysztof Pękala & Marta Chomczyńska & Piotr Chomczyński & Michał Marczak & Remigiusz Kozłowski & Dariusz Timler & Anna Lipert & Agnieszka Ogonowska & Pa, 2021. "Mental and Physical Health Problems as Conditions of Ex-Prisoner Re-Entry," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(14), pages 1-17, July.
    3. Xinming Du, 2023. "Symptom or Culprit? Social Media, Air Pollution, and Violence," CESifo Working Paper Series 10296, CESifo.
    4. Beqiraj, Elton & Fedeli, Silvia & Giuriato, Luisa, 2020. "Policy tolerance of economic crime? An empirical analysis of the effect of counterfeiting on Italian trade," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    5. Alvarez, Fernando & Argente, David & Jimenez, Rafael & Lippi, Francesco, 2022. "Cash: A Blessing or a curse?," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 85-128.
    6. Heirigs, Mark H., 2021. "The role of psychopathy and childhood maltreatment in homicidal ideation," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    7. Carbone, Jason T. & Testa, Alexander & Vaughn, Michael G. & Jackson, Dylan B., 2022. "Fledgling psychopathy meets social determinants of health: Evidence of childhood homicidal ideation among pediatric emergency department patients," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    8. Burkhardt, Jesse & Bayham, Jude & Wilson, Ander & Carter, Ellison & Berman, Jesse D. & O'Dell, Katelyn & Ford, Bonne & Fischer, Emily V. & Pierce, Jeffrey R., 2019. "The effect of pollution on crime: Evidence from data on particulate matter and ozone," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    9. Chau-kiu Cheung & Wing Hong Chui, 2021. "Crime Costs to the Public in Hong Kong," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 157(1), pages 283-296, August.
    10. Farrell, Graham, 2020. "Why has burglary declined in the United States? Evidence relating to the security hypothesis," SocArXiv c78wz, Center for Open Science.
    11. John F. Gaski, 2022. "Toward social responsibility, not the social responsibility semblance: marketing does not need a conscience," AMS Review, Springer;Academy of Marketing Science, vol. 12(1), pages 7-24, June.
    12. Iacopo Odoardi & Dario D’Ingiullo & Ada Di Nucci & Davide Quaglione, 2024. "Exploring the Influence of Crime on NEET Rates: A Regional Analysis of Italy," Merits, MDPI, vol. 4(2), pages 1-14, April.
    13. Zhizhin, Leonid & Knorre, Alex & Kuchakov, Ruslan & Skougarevskiy, Dmitriy, 2023. "Cost of crime in Russia: A compensating variation approach," Applied Econometrics, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), vol. 69, pages 91-120.
    14. Entorf, Horst & Schulan, Alexander, 2018. "Kosten-Nutzen-Analyse in der Kriminalprävention," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, pages 369-383.
    15. Jelnov, Pavel, 2021. "Sunset Long Shadows: Time, Crime, and Perception of Change," IZA Discussion Papers 14770, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    16. de Kogel, Catharina H. & Alberda, Daphne L., 2019. "Bio-behavioral effects of early family interventions and prevention of antisocial behavior," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).

    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:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:11:p:6010-:d:568230. 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.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    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.