Adult Patterns of Criminal Behavior

Can changes in life circumstances, such as being employed, living with a wife or girlfriend, or modifying alcohol or drug use, alter the crime patterns of convicted adult male felons? This question was the focus of a study conducted for the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), which sought to understand the relationship between adult patterns of criminal behavior and relatively short- term changes in work, family, and other social situations.

It is widely believed that criminal behavior is the result of a basic propensity that is established early on and persists throughout life, and that changing life circumstances in adulthood are unlikely to alter this criminal propensity. Others have theorized that short-term factors such as getting fired from a job, quarreling with a wife or girlfriend, or abusing alcohol or drugs may be important catalysts in adult patterns of criminal behavior. The researchers conducted indepth interviews with convicted felons and analyzed month-to-month changes in offending and life circumstances to understand change in adult criminal behavior. The results strongly demonstrate that social events during adulthood are related to crime.