Terrie Moffit Developmental Theory
Section 1: Theory of crime causation Terrie Moffitt, Developmental Theory
A. Theory and theorist description: What are the key points of the theory that you selected? Who developed theory? (note: choose only one theorist here) When was the theory developed? Why did the theorist develop this theory of crime causation?
B. Theory origin and context (social, political): What was going on at the time this theory was developed? Did these events help shape the theory?
C. Theory application to various types of crime: Is the theory you chose a general theory of crime causation (e.g. Sutherland’s theory of Differential Association), a middle range theory (e.g. A theory applied only to a specific group, such as juveniles, e.g. Cohen’s strain theory), or a crime-specific theory (e.g. homicide—southern violence hypothesis)?
Section 2: A Review of the Evidence
D. Has the theory been evaluated? If so, how, when, where, and by whom? To conduct your review, you will need to identify and summarize the results of research studies that have tested the theory under review. I have provided a Resource Folder, which includes several review articles for each of the theories we cover in class. I expect you to utilize this resource folder when writing your term paper. I also expect you to review the major criminology journals, which include Criminology, Annals of Criminology, Crime and Delinquency, Justice Quarterly, and the Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency. You will find a tutorial on how to access UML’s online library in the week 2 folder. You will have free access to journals in the UML library. If there is an article you cannot find at UMl, contact me and I will get it for you.
E. What does the research reveal? Note: I require the inclusion of table summarizing the key findings from your research review in a table with the following headings: Study author (year of publication); study sample size; research design type; key study findings (link between independent and dependent variables, e.g. unemployment and crime). I will provide examples of the review table format in the week 3 folder. This is a required element and needs to be included in your final paper; it is not needed for your outline submission.
F. What are the strengths and limitations of the theory? Does the theory need to be revised? Is more research needed?
Section 3: Policy Implications
A. According to the theory, how do we solve the crime problem? (note: for ideas, look at my weekly lectures, our text, and the journal, Criminology and Public Policy)
B. Have we tried to solve crime based on this theory? Here are a few examples: mandatory sentencing and deterrence theory; war on poverty and strain theory; diversion, decriminalization, deinstitutionalization, and labelling theory; culture change and subcultural theory; community organization and social disorganization theory.
C. What have we learned from these efforts? For example, what impact did the war on poverty have on crime? What about our war on drugs?
Term paper details: Your term paper should be about 15 pages of text (not including your references page and any tables you include, such as the research summary table), using standard ½ inch margins, 12 font, and double-spaced. Use subheadings throughout based on the above outline, and cite all sources using APA format.
At minimum, be sure to review the following journals to see if they include articles (2000- present) in your subject area: Criminology, Criminology and Public Policy, Justice Quarterly, Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, and Crime and Delinquency.
