Research program
Why do people exposed to the same conditions so often arrive at different outcomes?
The Criminogenic Embeddedness Model (CEM) is a life-course theory of how strain, social control, and social learning interact to shape criminal trajectories. This site is the home of CEM, its companion Recovery Embeddedness Model (REM), and the research testing both.
The book
Free PDF
Criminogenic Embeddedness and Criminal Trajectories: A Life-Course Model (CEM) of Strain, Control, and Social Learning (2026) introduces the model, its four pathways, eight propositions, and a provisional measurement agenda. The full text is free to read and download.