ABSTRACT
In order to understand a subject area, one needs to grasp what is the ‘Great Debate’. Usually, of course, there is more than one major debate which captures a subject area and one can often identify a series of debates or issues. So, for example, in philosophy one can point to the major historical debate about free will versus determinism which spilled over in the nineteenth century into the arenas of science and religion. The relationship between the mind and matter is another pivotal issue which engages philosophers and scientists. The nature of reality is yet another. Such philosophical debates are rarely, if ever, resolved. Certainly particular debates excite more interest at one time rather than another. During more quiescent times, there usually remains an underlying and unstated tension. The major proponents of each position have perhaps exhausted their gunfire and have little new to say. Positions may be slightly modified over time but, in broad terms, very little changes, for often these arguments expose the great mystery of the human condition. Are there debates of this significance in studying criminal careers? We maintain that there certainly are and each generation studying the phenomenon of criminal careers needs to be aware of them.
