NCJ Number
235085
Journal
Criminology Volume: 49 Issue: 2 Dated: May 2011 Pages: 287-330
Date Published
May 2011
Length
44 pages
Annotation
This article looks at the past and future of criminology.
Abstract
For over a half century, criminology has been dominated by a paradigmadolescence-limited criminology (ALC)that has privileged the use of self-report surveys of adolescents to test sociological theories of criminal behavior and has embraced the view that "nothing works" to control crime. Although ALC has created knowledge, opposed injustice, and advanced scholars' careers, it has outlived its utility. The time has come for criminologists to choose a different future. Thus, a new paradigm is needed that is rooted in life-course criminology, brings criminologists closer to offenders and to the crime event, prioritizes the organization of knowledge, and produces scientific knowledge that is capable of improving offenders' lives and reducing crime. (Published Abstract)