Shared beginnings, divergent lives: delinquent boys to age 70

Abstract

Laub and Sampson’s latest offering breaks new ground in longitudinal criminological research and has been recognised with the 2003 Hindelang Award1. Building on the Gluecks ’ data2 and their previous research (Sampson & Laub, 1993) they have followed a sample of men from an average age of 14 through to late adulthood (61–69 years). No other criminological research has followed a sample for this length of time. As the title suggests, one of the central arguments of the book is that not all children who start out in adverse social environments and exhibit an early onset of offending behaviour continue with persistent offending across the life-course. This short review considers how Shared beginnings, divergent lives affects our understanding of offending across the life-course. Laub and Sampson’s findings are discussed in the context social control theory and typological approaches. Also highlighted is the importance of turning points in understanding the desistence and persistence of offending. Firstly though discussion will turn to the major strength of the research: the data obtained by Laub and Sampson’s follow-up of the Gluecks ’ delinquent boys from the 1940s. Finding the men