Turning To Crime

Turning To Crime

1. Upbringing

   • FARRINGTON - DISRUPTED FAMILIES
     • INTRO - individual differences, exposure to behaviour
       • METHOD - longitudinal 40 years od interviews
         • RESULTS: 1. age 41 - 161 had convictions 2. offending peaked at 17 3.chronis offenders shared childhood characteristics; young mother, low popularity, highly daring 4. 93% has committed at least one offence
           • LINK - most important risk factors; poverty, poor child rearing, impulsiveness, poor schooling predisposes young people to turn to crime early intervention is key
       • SAMPLE - 411 boys from 6 state schools in East London
   • SUTHERLAND - LEARNING FROM OTHERS
     • INTRO - social learning theory, peer group can effect behaviour, criminality is usually seen during adolescence
       • METHOD - theory; 1.nurture 2.verbal interaction 3.peer pressure 4.tricks of the trade 5.underage sex 6.differential association 7.may vary 8.behaviourism 9.more than about money
       • LINK - peer groups are v important, early intervention, behaviourism, influence on a child shouldn't be underestimated
   • WIKSTROM & TAFEL - POVERTY AND DISADVANTAGED NEIGHBIURHOODS
     • INTRO - worse neighbourhoods predispose criminal behaviour, disadvantaged; gang culture, poor, less productive
       • SAMPLE - 2000 boys and girls aged 14-15
         • LINK -
       • METHOD - cross-sectional, interview, snapshot
         • RESULTS - 1/8 offenders are caught, high frequency offenders commit wider range of crimes, offenders are more likely to abuse drink/drugs

2. Cognition

   • YOCHELSON & SAMENOW - CRIMINAL THINKING PATTERNS
     • INTO- thinking determines behaviour and criminals think differently , behaviour is a consequence of thinking patterns
       • METHOD - longitudinal (14 years) self-report, interviews
       • SAMPLE - 225 androcentric, 30 completed, high attrition rate
         • RESULTS - criminals are: 1.restless/irritable 2. set apart 3.excitement seekers 4.lack empathy
       • LINK - criminals think differently, thinking 'errors' personality disorder
   • KOHLBERG - MORAL DEVELOPMENT AND CRIME
     • INTRO - countries have different ages of criminal responsibility e.g. UK-10 Germany-18 Scotland-8, Heinz dilemma, less morally developed = more likely to commit crime
     • METHOD - interview, self-report Piaget stage learning, 1.pre-conventional 2.conventional 3.post-conventional
       • SAMPLE - 58 working/middle class males from Chicago
         • RESULTS _ younger boys stage 1+2 older boys stage 3+4 no support for stage 6
         • LINK - moral development is cognitive, criminals think differently to non-criminals
   • GUDJOHNSSON - SOCIAL COGNITION
     • INTRO - social cognition is the way our thoughts are influenced by others . internal = accept blame external =blame others
       • SAMPLE - 80 criminals from N. Ireland, 40 sexual, 20 violent, 20 property
         • LINK- criminals think differently, likely that this develops over time therefore linked to upbringing, many criminals have anti-social personality disorder, if they feel they are not to blame they wont accept responsibility
       • RESULTS - violent: I-8.1 E-5.8 Mental-5.3 sexual: I-12.7 E-2.4 Mental: 5.7 property: I-5.5 E-3.0 Mental-4.0
     • METHOD - 42 item GBAI (Gudjohnsson Blame Attribution Inventory)

3. Biology

   • RAINE - BRAIN DYSFUNCTION
     • INTRO - Phileaus Gage railway worker-iron rod through the head (pre-frontal lobe) became violent and unable to moderate his behaviour. damaged pre-frontal lobe
     • METHOD - review article, MRI and PET scan
     • RESULTS - low resting heart rate will seek excitement. birth complications, malnutrition, smoking and drinking during pregnancy. early intervention is needed
       • LINK - brain dysfunction may predispose people to anti-social and aggressive behaviour. Importance of early intervention. lower activity in prefrontal lobe causes impulsive behaviour
   • BRUNNER - GENES AND SEROTONIN
     • INTRO - Genes are responsible for individual characteristics, search for a criminal gene, males with extra 'x' known as supermale
       • LINK - MAOA deficiency increased levels of aggression which may predispose people to crime, not all showed violent behaviour
     • SAMPLE - 5 males from the same family in the Netherlands all with disturbed MAOA
       • METHOD - urine samples over 24 hours, case study
       • RESULTS - all had mental retardation and disturbed MAOA but not all showed aggressive behaviour
   • DALY AND WILSON - GENDER
     • INTRO - young males from ALL cultures appear in crime statistics
     • METHOD - correlation of police records, average life expectancy = 54.3-77.4
       • RESULTS - variety of homicides from 1.3-156 per 100000 people, low life expectancy correlated with higher homicide rates. males operate on short term horizons
         • LINK - men protect their short term horizons and may seek criminal activity, higher homicide rates for younger males…low life expectancy, young men discount their future