In recent years, the lifecourse perspective has become a popular theoretical orientation toward crime. Yet despite its growing importance in the field of criminology, most textbooks give it only cursory treatment. Crime and the Lifecourse: An Introduction by Michael L. Benson provides a comprehensive overview of contemporary research and theory on the life-course approach to crime. The book emphasizes a conceptual understanding of this approach. A special feature is the integration of qualitative and quantitative research on criminal life histories. This book:

• provides an overview of the life course approach and describes the major concepts and issues in lifecourse theory as it applies to criminology
• reviews evidence on biological and genetic influences on crime
• reviews research on the role of the family in crime and juvenile delinquency
• provides a detailed discussion of the criminological lifecourse theories of Moffitt, Hagan, Sampson and Laub, and others
• discusses the connections between youthful crime and adult outcomes in education, occupation, and marriage
• presents an application of the lifecourse approach to white-collar crime
• discusses how macro sociological and historical developments have influenced the shape of the lifecourse in American society as it relates to patterns in crime.