Abstract
It is now well known to criminologists that the age-crime curve is a summary representation that is actually comprised of several qualitatively distinct offending trajectories. Drawing increasing empirical attention has been a recently identified trajectory coined as the late bloomer offender (Thornberry & Krohn, 2005). The late bloomer is unique in that that he or she resembles non-offenders until late adolescence and then exhibits an upsurge in offending frequency that continues into emerging adulthood. This chapter is designed to explore this fascinating phenomenon known as late blooming. First, we discuss transitions over the life course and how such transitions can have differential consequences for the onset of criminal behavior. Second, we make conceptual and operational distinctions between adult onset and late bloomer offending. Third, we summarize the research and theory behind these types of offending. Finally, we conclude with a research agenda on late bloomer offending that will guide future empirical investigations on the identification of the late bloomer trajectory, the societal implications for studying this group, and the mechanisms driving changes in the offending behavior over time.
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Notes
- 1.
1 Due to page restrictions, it was not our intention here to provide a thorough review of the behavior genetics or molecular genetics research as it relates to crime. Nor was it our intention to provide a discussion of the methodological approaches used to investigate hypotheses stemming from it. For those interested in these issues we refer you to Beaver (2009).
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Krohn, M.D., Gibson, C.L., Thornberry, T.P. (2013). Under the Protective Bud the Bloom Awaits: A Review of Theory and Research on Adult-Onset and Late-Blooming Offenders. In: Gibson, C., Krohn, M. (eds) Handbook of Life-Course Criminology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5113-6_11
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