ABSTRACT
Evidence of stability of individual differences in deviance over the life course, and evidence of versatility also pertain to the validity of the hypothesis. Crime increases sharply with age until the mid- to late teens, and then declines rapidly and continuously throughout life. Research on the organization of criminal activity and the professionalization of offenders is relevant, as is consistency between the findings of longitudinal and cross-sectional studies. Confusion arises from the obvious fact that criminal and deviant acts appear to differ greatly among themselves in the seriousness of their consequences for victims and offenders. Increasing the long-term penalties of criminal or deviant acts has little effect on the behavior of individuals low on self-control. Self control is highly efficient precisely because it is effective in a variety of settings, many of which lack social or legal surveillance, but few of which lack natural sanctions.
