TURNING POINTS IN THE LIFE COURSE: WHY CHANGE MATTERS TO THE STUDY OF CRIME*

This article examines conceptual issues relating to continuity and change in crime over the life course. Building on past efforts, we first distinguish self-selection from a cumulative, developmental process whereby delinquent behavior attenuates adult social bonds (e.g., labor force attachment, marital cohesion). We then conceptualize various types of change and argue that social capital and turning points are crucial in understanding processes of change in the adult life course. These concepts are illustrated by examining person-based, life-history data drawn from the Gluecks' longitudinal study of 1,000 men. Although adult crime is clearly connected to childhood behavior, these qualitative data suggest that both incremental and abrupt change are structured by changes in adult social bonds. We conclude with some hypotheses and implications for future research on subjective contingencies, opportunity structures, and chance encounters as potential turning points for change, especially as they interact with race, class location, and historical context.     

Local Politics and the Provision of Indigent Defense Counsel*

In this study we examine the decisions of local governments regarding the form and funding of indigent defense programs. We draw theoretical propositions from the literature on state and local policy making, and we test these propositions using data from Georgia. We find that the provision of indigent defense counsel by local governments is influenced by both economic and political factors: by the wealth on which counties can draw for revenue, which produces interjurisdictional disparities; and by the political resources that interested parties can bring to bear on the policy process. These findings add to a growing body of literature that maps the relationships between trial courts and their political environments. The analysis may also have implications for the allocations of functional responsibilities among levels of governments.     

TWO BOOKS ON FEDERALISM1

COMMUNISM AS A WAY OF LIFE
MAX BELOFF
Nuffield College, Oxford
LOCKE'S ATLANTIS ernesto de marchi
St. Antony's College, Oxford     

The Colour Problem in Britain as it Affects Africa and the Commonweath

The following address by the Director of the Institute of RaceRelations at Chatham House was given at a joint meeting of theRoyal African Society and the Commonwealth Society on February5, 1959. The chairman was Mr. H. V. Hodson, Editor of The SundayTimes.