A review of the life-events calendar method for criminological research

James E. Sutton

Journal of Criminal Justice, 2010, vol. 38, issue 5, 1038-1044

Abstract: This review presents an overview of the life-events calendar method for criminologists. In recent years researchers in the health and social sciences have increasingly adopted the life-events calendar method to examine a range of topics. Most of these applications have occurred across disparate disciplines outside of criminology. Criminologists may therefore be unaware of the life-events calendar method's advantages for studying offending. Compared to traditional surveys the life-events calendar method facilitates recall more effectively and measures temporal ordering, co-occurring events, and other complicated data more accurately. Respondents with unstable lives and cognitive difficulties respond favorably to the life-events calendar method's interactive mode of administration and use of visual and mental cues, and using the life-events calendar method to gather retrospective longitudinal data from offenders is cheaper and potentially more practical than implementing traditional panel designs. For these reasons the life-events calendar method should be regarded as a viable option for criminologists.

Date: 2010
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jcjust:v:38:y::i:5:p:1038-1044

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