This book offers Walters's latest evolution of criminal lifestyle theory. It introduces the
concept of criminal thought content to illustrate how the potential interplay between what
offenders think and their thought processes can greatly aid our understanding of both crime and
criminals. In this new study on criminal behaviour Walters calls for criminological theory to
be placed within a broader scientific context and provides us with several key models which
embrace constructs from numerous important theories including: the general theory of crime
social cognitive and social learning theories general strain theory psychopathic personality
theories of crime and labelling theory.Another unique aspect of this work is that it places
lifestyle theory within a larger scientific framework namely nonlinear dynamical systems
theory or chaos. Seven principles from chaos theory are used to explain relationships and
processes central to lifestyle theory and Walters uses this todraw conclusions on what affects
criminal decision-making and desistance from crime. Highly original and innovative in scope
this book will be useful to practitioners and scholars of criminal justice alike with chapters
focussed on decision-making assessment and intervention.
