0 Introduction -- Conceptualizing turning points -- Conceptualizing high school graduation as a turning point -- An empirical study of the graduation/dropout-offending relationship -- Data used to assess the causal relationship between graduation/dropout and offending -- Analytical methods to assess the graduation/dropout-offending relationship -- Empirical results on the high school graduation/dropout-offending relationship -- Reconciling the results with past findings on the graduation/ dropout-offending relationship -- Implications for life course criminology and policy making -- Looking into the future.