NCJ Number
203564
Journal
Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 31 Issue: 6 Dated: November/December 2003 Pages: 539-551
Editor(s)
Kent B. Joscelyn
Date Published
November 2003
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This study examined what elements of life-course theory discriminated between four outcomes in a 5-year theory follow-up of graduates of a boot camp for adult males in the South: (1) desistance from crime; (2) arrests for a felony offense; (3) violation of parole for technical reasons; and (4) violation of parole due to drug screening showing use of chemicals.
Abstract
The life-course explanatory model is based on the theory that transitions, such as marriage, having children, employment, and attaining education are often turning points in life-course trajectories. This 5-year follow-up study of 572 male graduates of a boot camp in the South attempts to determine what elements of life-course theory discriminated between four outcomes: (1) nonrecidivists; (2) recidivists with felonies; (3) technical parole violators; and (4) parole violators due to drugs. The study examined factors that could be logically deduced from life-course theory. Marriage, employment, number of children, and education were the four strongest positive discriminators between nonrecidivists and any type of recidivists, thereby providing support for the life-course theory that informal social controls encourage desistance from criminal trajectories. The findings also showed that caregiver monitoring and religiosity were associated with nonrecidivism. The study identified elements of life-course theory that discriminated between technical violators of parole and other boot camp graduates with almost 70 percent accuracy. The elements identified suggest that technical parole violators tend to be individuals who have a developed sense of self associated with a close attachment to a female caregiver, and find the boot camp to be stimulating in challenging them to think about their commitments. Study limitations are presented. Appendix and references