Discuss the work of Terrie Moffitt. Explain the differences between Moffitt’s adolescent-limited offender and life-course persistent offender. Which offender is more serious? How did she explain the delinquency seen in each group? What was the result of her research (i.e., the implications of her findings)?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Terrie Moffitt proposed a developmental taxonomy, in which she distinguishes
between two types of juvenile offenders. Adolescent-limited offenders are common and
to some extent engage in fairly normal behavior. They are adolescents who engage in
antisocial behaviors but only temporarily. The bulk of their offending is limited to their
adolescent years. Moffitt explained the adolescent surge of offending with sociological
factors. A very small number of offenders are life-course persistent offenders who
engage in chronic violent offenses and contribute to the majority of serious violent
offenses in society. Moffitt explained the delinquency of the life-course persistent
offender using biosocial perspective focusing on both neurological problems and the
criminogenic environment in which the child is raised. As a result of her work, a greater
focus developed on studying serious offenders in the juvenile population. Until then,
most studies were focused on minor forms of delinquency.