SeCollege : a proposal for the establishment of a secure college in the Maltese Islands

Abstract

Criminal career research shows that the early age of onset of offending is that of between 8 and 14 years old, whilst offending prevalence peaks between 15 and 19 years. On the other hand, adolescents desist at the age of 20 to the age of 29 thus many children manifesting antisocial tendencies enter adulthood in a conformist way (Farrington, 1992). Desistence has been attribution to marriage, job satisfaction, and internal migration to better neighborhoods or even joining the military (Laub and Sampson, 2001; Horney, Osgood and Marshall, 1995).

It is claimed that the earlier the onset the longer the criminal career (Farrington, Lambert and West, 1998). It is highly likely that those who frequently offend during a particular age group also show high prevalence rates in other age brackets, so there tends to be a permanence of crime from childhood towards adolescence and into adulthood (Farrington, 1992; Tracy and Kempf-Leonard, 1996). One may change his/her offending behaviour, at age ten one can resort to shoplifting from the school canteen or a local grocery, than resorts to theft during teenage and may commit domestic violence as an adult spouse (Farrington, 1991; Verhulst, Koot and Berden, 1990). This could be compared to a “normal” career situation; a shop assistant is promoted to a supervisor and eventually to a managerial role.