Is Terrie Moffitt's Dual Taxonomy Of Offending Behavior?

In this particular article, psychologist Terrie Moffitt’s focal point is centered on a dual taxonomy of offending behavior that is seemingly prevalent amongst youth offenders. Dr. Moffitt theorizes that there are two types of antisocial offenders in society: the adolescence-limited offenders, who display antisocial behavior during adolescence and the life-course-persistent offenders, who display antisocial behavior early in childhood and continue this pattern into adulthood. This theory is an attempt to provide, examine, as well as, explain the developmental processes that can distinctively shape the age crime curve.
The majority of adolescents in contemporary society have or will engage in juvenile delinquency. Moffitt (1993) holds that persistent antisocial behavior has its origins in an interaction with children’s neuropsychological vulnerabilities coupled by a criminogenic environment. In other words, socialization (if any) as well as selection of peers accompanied by an unsavory environment (meaning wrong side of the
Moffitt (1993) states that many adolescent-limited delinquents could have sporadic, crime free periods during the midpoint of their crime “careers”. As stated in Moffitt’s theory of adolescence-limited antisocial behavior, a maturity gap causes teens to mimic antisocial behavior. In the aforementioned article, it is suggested by Dr. Moffitt (1993) that when adolescence ends, the trend reverses and both antisocial behaviors and criminal offenses become less prevalent as the youths reach adulthood, teens feel the need to exhibit antisocial behaviors to lessen the psychological burden of the maturity gap (basically going with the flow to fit in). Most adolescents that can be classified in this particular group will most likely only offend during their teenage years and reform when entering