CHAPTER 1 CHAPTER 1 Introduction to Criminal Behavior Introduction to Criminal Behavior
Dec 29, 2015
CRIMINAL BEHAVIORCRIMINAL BEHAVIOR
Intentional behavior that violates a criminal code, intentional in that it did not occur accidentally or without justification or excuse Vastly complex No all-encompassing psychological explanation for
crime
THE STUDY OF CRIMINAL THE STUDY OF CRIMINAL BEHAVIORBEHAVIOR
Should we restrict ourselves to a legal definition and study only those individuals who have been convicted of behaviors legally defined as crime?
Should we include individuals who indulge in antisocial behaviors but have not been detected by the criminal justice system?
Should we include persons predisposed to be criminal?
THEORIES OF CRIMETHEORIES OF CRIME Provide a general explanation of crime that
encompasses and systematically connects many different social, economic and psychological variables to criminal behavior
Supported by well-executed research
TWO THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES TWO THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES ON CRIMEON CRIME
Classical Theory Free will Decision to violate law is choice
Positivist Theory Determinism Criminal behavior is result of social, psychological,
biological influences
THREE PERSPECTIVES ON HUMAN THREE PERSPECTIVES ON HUMAN NATURENATURE
Perspective Assumption
Conformity Humans want to do right thing
Nonconformist Humans undisciplined
Learning Humans neutral
PERSPECTIVES ON HUMAN NATURE
CONFORMITY PERSPECTIVE CONFORMITY PERSPECTIVE Humans basically good and want to live up to their
potential, influenced by society’s attitudes and values
Strain theory Crime occurs when there is perceived discrepancy
between materialistic values and goals and available means to reach goals
PERSPECTIVES ON HUMAN NATURE
NONCOMFORMIST PERSPECTIVENONCOMFORMIST PERSPECTIVE Humans unruly and undisciplined, need rules and
regulations to keep them in check Social control theory
Crime occurs when one’s ties to standards are weak or nonexistent
PERSPECTIVES ON HUMAN NATURE
LEARNING PERSPECTIVELEARNING PERSPECTIVE Humans learn all behavior and beliefs from the
environment Social learning theory
Rotter, Bandura Differential association
Sutherland
SOCIOLOGICAL CRIMINOLOGYSOCIOLOGICAL CRIMINOLOGY Examines relationships of demographic and group
variables to crime Focuses on groups and society as a whole and how
they influence criminal activity Racial disparity Unemployment Poverty
PSYCHOLOGICAL CRIMINOLOGYPSYCHOLOGICAL CRIMINOLOGY The science of the behavior and mental processes
of the person who commits a crime Focuses on how individual criminal behavior is
acquired, evoked, maintained and modified Offender personality Offender behavior
PSYCHOLOGICAL CRIMINOLOGY
DEVELOPMENTAL PERSPECTIVEDEVELOPMENTAL PERSPECTIVE
Protective Factors
Risk Factors
Dispositions or Traits
Trajectory of Criminal Behavior
PSYCHIATRIC CRIMINOLOGYPSYCHIATRIC CRIMINOLOGY Traditionally followed psychoanalytic tradition Contemporary is more diverse and research based Education differences
MD or DO as opposed to Ph.D. Psy.D. or Ed.D
MEASURING CRIMEMEASURING CRIME Official police reports
UCR NIBRS
Self-report studies ADAM MFS NHSDA
Victimization studies NCVS
MEASURING CRIME
UNIFORM CRIME REPORTING SYSTEM UNIFORM CRIME REPORTING SYSTEM (UCR)(UCR)
Compiled by the FBI Most cited source of U.S. crime statistics Federal agencies do not report Part I and Part II crimes
UNIFORM CRIME REPORTING
COMMON PART I CRIMESCOMMON PART I CRIMES
Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter Forcible rape Robbery Aggravated assault Burglary Larceny-theft Arson
UNIFORM CRIME REPORTING
COMMON PART II CRIMESCOMMON PART II CRIMES
Simple assaults Forgery and
counterfeiting Fraud Embezzlement Stolen Property
Offenses against the family and children
Sex offenses Drug abuse
violations Gambling Vandalism
MEASURING CRIME
UCR PROBLEMSUCR PROBLEMS Hierarchy rule Reliance on agencies to report crime Dark figure Missing information
MEASURING CRIME
NATIONAL INCIDENT-BASED NATIONAL INCIDENT-BASED REPORTING SYSTEM (NIBRS)REPORTING SYSTEM (NIBRS)
All federal law enforcement agencies must collect and report data on two categories Group A offenses Group B offenses
MEASURING CRIME
NIBRSNIBRS Group A offenses
The crime is viewed along with detailed data about aspects of the crime
Group B offenses Information about the arrestee and circumstances of
the arrest
HATE CRIMESHATE CRIMES The FBI definition
A criminal offense committed against a person, property, or society which is motivated, in whole or in part, by the offender’s bias against race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or ethnicity/national origin
HATE CRIME LEGISLATIONHATE CRIME LEGISLATION
1990 Hate Crime Statistics Act
1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act
1996 Church Arson Prevention Act
2009 Matthew Shepard Act
MEASURING CRIME
SELF-REPORT STUDIESSELF-REPORT STUDIES Interviews or questionnaires Most individuals admit to violating criminal law Large dark figure Majority of self-reported crime is minor
MEASURING CRIME
DRUG ABUSE SELF-REPORT DRUG ABUSE SELF-REPORT SURVEYSSURVEYS
Survey Data CollectionNHSDA Computer
interviews of individuals over
age 12MFS Survey of U.S.
high schoolersADAM Urinalysis
MEASURING CRIME
VICTIMIZATION SURVEYSVICTIMIZATION SURVEYS Extent to which individuals are victim of various
crimes Victims able to describe the impact of crime and
characteristics of offenders
MEASURING CRIME NATIONAL CRIME VICTIMIZATION NATIONAL CRIME VICTIMIZATION SURVEY (NCVS)SURVEY (NCVS)
Households interviewed every six months for three years
Designed to supplement the UCR Provides detail about crime and victim Relationship patterns
Intimate partner violence (IPV) Homeless not represented
JUVENILE DELINQUENCYJUVENILE DELINQUENCY Status offenses
Behavior not against the criminal code but forbidden to juveniles because of age
Data Imperfect Nature and extent unknown
Behavior may be regarded as “rite of passage” that stops with maturity
ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIORANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOR Habitual actions that violate personal rights, laws,
and/or widely held social norms Legal delinquency and criminal behavior Actions that violate standards of society but undetected
by law enforcement
FOCUS OF THE TEXTFOCUS OF THE TEXT The persistent and repetitive offender
Detected or undetected The individual who has frequently committed
serious crimes or antisocial acts over an extended period of time
The one-time serious offender
CHAPTER 1
KEY CONCEPTSKEY CONCEPTS
Antisocial behavior
Classical theory
Clearance rate Cognitions Conformity
perspective Criminal
profiling
Criminology Dark figure Developmental
approach Differential
association theory Dispositions Hate Crime Statistics
Act Hierarchy rule
CHAPTER 1
KEY CONCEPTSKEY CONCEPTS
Index crimes Intimate partner
violence Just-world hypothesis Learning perspective National Crime
Victimization Survey
National Incident-Based Reporting System
Nonconformist perspective
Nonindex crimes Part I crime Part II crime