In considering Sampson and Laub's age-graded theory, describe the concept of social capital, including examples. Explain why you agree or disagree with this theory
What will be an ideal response?
• Sampson and Laub view the development of social capital as essential for desistance.
• Social scientists recognize that in the same manner that building financial capital improves the chances for personal success, building social capital supports conventional behavior and inhibits deviant behavior.
o A successful marriage creates social capital when it improves a person's stature, creates feelings of self-worth, and encourages people to trust the individual.
o A successful academic career inhibits delinquency by creating a stake in conformity
• The relationship is reciprocal. If youths are chosen by teachers as being top students, they return the favor by doing the best job in class possible; in the same way, people who are chosen as spouses blossom into devoted partners.
• In contrast, people who fail to accumulate social capital are more prone to commit delinquent acts.
• The fact that social capital influences the trajectory of a delinquent career underscores the life-course view that events that occur in later adolescence and adulthood do in fact influence behavior choices. Life events that occur in adulthood can help either terminate or sustain deviant careers.
• Student views will vary.
You might also like to view...
Describe the five goals of contemporary criminal sentencing
Which of these goals do you think ought to be the primary goal of sentencing? How might your choice vary with the type of offense? In what circumstances might your choice be less acceptable?
In making an attenuation analysis, the court must decide whether the derivative evidence was obtained by exploiting the initial unconstitutional act, or by other means that purged the taint of the unconstitutional act
a. True b. False
The movement from one place to another is the central issue of which crime?
a. false imprisonment b. kidnapping c. abduction d. aggravated assault
Which of the following was an identifier for the traditional vory?
a. tattoos b. a coded language c. both tattoos and a coded language d. none of these