RT Article T1 Late-bloomers Among U.S. Offenders: A Test Using a 30-Year Longitudinal Study JF Journal of developmental and life-course criminology VO 8 IS 4 SP 547 OP 570 A1 Liu, Lin A2 Visher, Christy A. A2 O’Connell, Daniel J. LA English YR 2022 UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1831317745 AB Late-blooming offending is a young but fast-growing area in offending trajectory research. Since the formulation of this theory by Thornberry and Krohn, few empirical tests using US offender samples have been conducted. Based on 30 years of criminal history data, this study uses group-based trajectory modeling to empirically test the existence of a late-blooming trajectory among a sample of US offenders. We also compare family structural disadvantages and temperament traits across distinct groups of offenders. The analyses yield empirical support for the theoretical propositions by Thornberry and Krohn. A late bloomer offender group was identified by the model results, which took up about 20% of the sample. Findings suggest that late bloomers have similar temperament difficulties as life-course-persistent offenders. However, their family environments are more nurturing, which may explain why their heavy engagement in offending does not emerge until adulthood. The findings from this study extend our understanding of the heterogeneous etiologies and trajectories of offending over the life course. K1 Temperament traits K1 Family structural disadvantage K1 Group-based trajectory modeling K1 Late-blooming offending trajectory DO 10.1007/s40865-022-00208-9