Exploring Patterns of Perpetration of Crime Across the Life Course

Abstract

This study explores the characteristics of the perpetration of crime over a 15-year follow-up period for a sample of adjudicated French Canadian males. Two patterns of perpetration of crime were identified between adolescence and adulthood. The organized pattern is mainly characterized by a predominance of utilitarian motives, a considerable level of planning, and an increased use of instruments. The disorganized pattern of perpetration of crime is motivated by hedonism and thrill seeking, displays little organization, and is characterized by a greater propensity to drug and alcohol use. Pathways were identified to determine how offenders combined these patterns between adolescence and midadulthood. All pathways showed signs of disorganization with age. These results suggest that patterns of perpetration of crime are more dependent on situational components and criminal opportunities, which are both more likely to vary across time, rather than on individual predispositions. Theoretical and policy implications are discussed.

Understanding Adolescent Property Crime using a Delinquent Events Perspective

“…Thus I wanted to determine if, from the adolescents' perspectives, these three aspects influenced how they viewed their participation within the delinquent event. Second, previous delinquent events research suggests that planning, peers, and drug=alcohol use play a prominent role in the commission of delinquent acts (see Kazemian and LeBlanc 2004). Finally, I developed codes focused on feelings of remorse and regret as they related to the victim as 588 V. Lopez well as whether thoughts about getting caught influenced the decision to commit a property crime.…”

“…As the aforementioned narratives illustrate, adolescent offenders like other groups of offenders commit crimes for fun and thrills (Copes 2003;Hochstetler 2002;Jacobs et al 2003;Katz 1988) with little pre-crime planning beyond an agreed upon decision to commit the offense (Kazemian and LeBlanc 2004). The intent was to engage in a group crime for the primary benefit of having fun in a highly risky context (Copes 2003;Katz 1988;Jacobs et al 2003;Jacobs and Wright 1999).…”

“…Criminal and delinquent events, unlike criminal acts, involve a beginning, middle, and an end (Kazemian and LeBlanc 2004;Sacco and Kennedy 2002), and have been alternatively referred to as the precursor, transaction, and aftermath phases (Sherley 2004). The beginning or precursor phase involves what was going on prior to the commission of the crime and includes an examination of the preexisting offenderÀvictim relationship, interactions with peers, and emotional and cognitive states.…”

“…Economically motivated crimes generally involved fewer co-offenders, planning, and a tendency to select anonymous victims (Kazemian and LeBlanc 2004). Adolescents approached these crimes in a rational manner, considering the costs and benefits, with an intent on minimizing the possibility of getting caught (Clarke and Cornish 1985;Cornish and Clarke 1986).…”

Bringing psychopathy into developmental and life-course criminology theories and research

“…As well, LeBlanc and Bouthillier (2003) explored and confirmed the hierarchical factor structure of LeBlanc's proposed general deviance syndrome of antisocial behavior. Kazemian and Le Blanc (2004) further demonstrated that the patterns of crime perpetration were influenced largely by situational components and measurable opportunity structures that existed relative to individual predispositions and that these situational factors were found to vary over time. LeBlanc's DLC theoretical model also has been supported with both community-based (LeBlanc, Ouimet, & Tremblay, 1988) and adjudicated samples (LeBlanc, 1997) as well aswithin a trajectory-based methodological framework (Morizot & LeBlanc, 2003a,b).…”