Abstract
A new methodology for displaying and analyzing “arrest profiles” of a population of offenders is illustrated on a data set containing information on all arrests made in the jurisdiction of the state of Western Australia in the 12-year period 1 April 1984 to 31 December 1995. The arrest profile shows the number of arrests accumulated by an individual offender as a function of the age at which each arrest took place. This provides a summary of the “arrest careers” of the individuals in the population and facilitates comparisons between groups of interest in the population, such as sex and race groups. In particular, it enables comparisons to be made between cohorts of offenders defined by the age-at-onset of their offending. For the Western Australian population analyzed here we find large differences between sex and race (Aboriginal or non-Aboriginal) groups, and also between age-at-onset cohorts, and we place these differences in the context of current criminological discussions which posit that higher mean numbers of offenses will be committed by early career starters.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Broadhurst, R. G. (1997). Aborigines and crime in Australia. In Tonry, M. (ed.),Ethnicity, Crime and Immigration: Comparative and Cross-National Perspectives, University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
Broadhurst, R. G., and Loh, N. S. (1995). Re-arrest probabilities for the 1984–1993 Western Australian population: A survival analysis.J. Quant. Criminol. 11: 289–313.
Broadhurst, R. G., and Maller, R. A. (1990a). The recidivism of prisoners released for the first time: Reconsidering the effectiveness question.Aust. N. Z. J. Criminol. 23: 88–103.
Broadhurst, R. G., and Maller, R. A. (1990b). Sex offenders: Career criminals or criminal careers? Sex offenders management strategies for the 1990's. Proc. Conf. Melbourne, Office Correct., Health Dept., Victoria.
Broadhurst, R. G., and Maller, R. A. (1991a).Sex Offending and Recidivism, Res. Rep. No. 3, Crime Research Centre, University of Western Australia, Nedlands.
Broadhurst, R. G., and Maller, R. A. (1991b). Estimating the numbers of terms in criminal careers from one-step probabilities of recidivism.J. Quant. Criminol. 7: 275–290.
Broadhurst, R. G., and Maller, R. A. (1992). An analysis of the recidivism of sex offenders in Western Australian prisons.Br. J. Criminol. 32: 54–80.
Broadhurst, R. G., Maller, R. A., Maller, M. G., and Duffecy, J. (1988). Failure rate analysis of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal recidivism in Western Australian prisons.J. Res. Crime Delinq. 25: 83–108.
Christie, N. (1960).Unge norske lovovertredere, Universitetsforlaget, Oslo.
Duguid, A. M. (1992). Police and Aboriginal youth—arrest or report? Are Aboriginal youth treated differently? Conference Paper, Measurement and Research in Criminal Justice, Griffith University, Queensland, Aug. [In Harding, R., Broadhurst, R. G., Ferrante, A., and Loh, N. S. (1995).]
Farrington, D. (1981). Longitudinal analyses of criminal violence. In Wolfgang, M., and Weiner, N. (eds.), Proceedings of a Workshop on Interdisciplinary Approaches to the Study of Criminal Violence, Sage, Beverly Hills, CA.
Farrington, D. (1994). Human development and criminal careers. In Maguire, M., Morgan, R., and Reiner, R. (eds.),The Oxford Handbook of Criminology, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Ferrante, A. M., Loh, N., and Broadhurst, R. G. (1993). Crime and Justice Statistics for Western Australia, Statistical Report, University of Western Australia, Crime Research Centre, Dec.
Gale, F., Bailey-Harris, R., and Wundersitz, J. (1990).Aboriginal Youth and the Criminal Justice System: The Injustice of Justice? Cambridge University Press, Melbourne.
Harding, R., Broadhurst, R., Ferrante, A., and Loh, N. (1995).Aboriginal Contact with the Criminal Justice System and the Impact of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, Hawkins Press, Sydney.
Kalbfleisch, J. D., and Prentice, R. L. (1980).The Statistical Analysis of Failure Time Data, Wiley, New York.
Lawless, J. F. (1982).Statistical Models and Methods for Lifetime Data, Wiley, New York.
Maller, R. A., and Zhou, S. (1992). Estimating the proportion of immunes in a censored sample.Biometrika 79: 731–739.
Maller, R. A., and Zhou, S. (1996).Survival Analysis with Long-Term Survivors, Wiley, Chichester.
Maller, R. A., and Zhou, S. (1997). Estimating the expected total number of events in a process (submitted for publication).
Nagin, D. S., and Farrington, D. (1992). The onset and persistence of offending.Criminology, 30: 501–523.
New South Wales Anti-Discrimination Board (1982).A Study of Street Offenses by Aborigines, Government Printer, Sydney.
Sellin, T., and Wolfgang, M. (1964).The Measurement of Delinquency, Wiley, New York.
Shorack, G. R., and Wellner, J. A. (1986).Empirical Processes with Applications to Statistics, Wiley, New York.
Tracy, P., Wolfgang, M., and Figlio, R. (1990).Delinquency Careers in Two Birth Cohorts, Plenum Press, New York.
Wolfgang, M., Figlio, R., and Sellin, T. (1972).Delinquency in a Birth Cohort, University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Harding, R.W., Maller, R.A. An improved methodology for analyzing age-arrest profiles: Application to a Western Australian offender population. J Quant Criminol 13, 349–372 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02221046
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02221046