Self-Control and Crime Over the Life Course

by Carter H. Hay, Ryan C. Meldrum

What exactly is self-control, and what life outcomes does it affect? What causes a person to have high or low self-control to begin with? What effect does self-control have on crime and other harmful behavior ?   Using a clear, conversational writing style, Self-Control and Crime Over the Life Course  answers critical questions about self-control and its importance for understanding criminal behavior. Authors Carter Hay and Ryan Meldrum use intuitive examples to draw attention to the close connection between self-control and the behavioral choices people make, especially in reference to criminal, deviant, and harmful behaviors that often carry short-term benefits but long-term costs. The text builds an overall theoretical perspective that conveys the multi-disciplinary nature of modern-day self-control research. Moreover, far from emphasizing only theoretical issues, the authors place public policy at the forefront, using self-control research to inform policy efforts that reduce the societal costs of low self-control and the behaviors it enables.  

312 pages, Paperback

First published March 10, 2015

Reviews

[Emilie Parry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for a class but I really enjoyed it - I thought it was extremely interesting, and definitely a really great read on how human behavior affects legislation and policy.