Why do people commit Crimes?

Why do people commit Crimes?
Theories of Criminology

Criminology The scientific study of the causes and prevention of crime and the rehabilitation and punishment of offenders

Criminology Is the interdisciplinary study of the causes of crime and of criminal motivation. It combines the academic disciplines of sociology, psychology, biology, economics, and political science.

Key Concepts to Criminology Theory
1. Theories are useful tools that help us to understand and explain the world around us. In criminology, they help us to understand the workings of the criminal justice system and the actors in the system. 2. Theories suggest the way things are, not the way things ought to be. They are not inherently good or bad; however, they can be used for good or bad purposes. 3. A theory can try to explain crime for a large social unit or area (macro), or it can attempt to explain crime at the individual or smaller unit level (micro). 4. Because we are dealing with human behavior, the social sciences will never be like the hard sciences. In the hard sciences, the theory of relativity will not change. In the social sciences, however, we deal with probabilities. The social scientist will say things such as, “A severely neglected child will probably commit, or tend to commit, delinquent acts.” 5. To be used for maximum effectiveness, theories must make sense (logical consistency), explain as much crime as possible (scope), and be as concise as possible (parsimony). Most important, the theory must be true or correct (validity). Having 4 met these basic goals, the theory must then have some real world applications and policy implications. 6. Many theories have common traits, but differences among them still exist. Understanding these differences is key to understanding the often contradictory views of crime and deviance they purport to explain.

What gives rise to criminality?
Criminologist explore the mind of the offender and the social and economic conditions which give rise to criminality. WHAT IS YOUR PERSONAL THEORY OF CRIME CAUSATION? Why do people commit crimes? Why are they deviant?

Possible explanations for “why people commit crimes?”
Violence in the media? Gangsta rap Biological? It is in the genes Psychological? Environmental? Learned behavior? Poverty? Drug abuse? Physical abuse?

Crime vs Deviant behavior
A crime is an act committed in violation of a criminal statute with no legal justification or defense. Deviant behaviour is not always a crime.

Deviance A violation of social norms defining appropriate or proper behavior under a particular set of circumstances. Deviance often includes criminal acts.

Characteristics of Offenders
Age-most crimes are committed by people under age 25. Race and Ethnicity -most arrestees are white Gender- In 2003 men accounted for 76.8% of all arrests.

Characteristics of Victims
Age Race and Ethnicity Gender The relationships between the offender and the victim. About 1/3 of all victims knew their assailant.

BIOLOGICAL THEORIES

Positive Theory (Positivism)
Biological Theories Positive Theory (Positivism) Criminals are born not made This is an example of nature, not nurture Focused on biological and psychological factors to explain criminal behaviour

Positivist Theorists Cesare Lombarso (1835 – 1909)
Biological Theories Positivist Theorists Cesare Lombarso (1835 – 1909) Italian physician and psychiatrist What did he think/do? Studied cadavers of executed criminals in an effort to determine scientifically whether criminals were physically any different from non-criminals He believed that people were born criminals and facial features of criminals included things like enormous jaws and strong canine teeth.

Lombroso’s three criminal Types
Biological Theories Lombroso’s three criminal Types Insane Criminal. One of three criminal types identified by Lombroso. The insane criminal type includes idiots, imbeciles, epileptics, psychotics, and the mentally unstable. These criminals are unable to control their actions; however, they do not possess the stigmata or identifying characteristics of the born criminal. Born Criminal. One of three criminal types identified by Lombroso. This type of criminal is the most dangerous, and can be identified through his or her stigmata or identifying characteristics. Criminaloid. One of three criminal types identified by Lombroso. The criminaloid is motivated by passion, and will commit criminal acts under the proper circumstances.

Pictures of murderers that Lambarso believed carried facial features tied to criminal activity.

Does this mean Sean Penn is a Criminal?
Murderer Sean Penn See any similarities!? Does this mean Sean Penn is a Criminal?

ectomorphic (thin and fragile) are introverted and restrained
Biological Theories William Sheldon believed that people could be classified into three body shapes, which correspond with three different personality types. endomorphic (fat and soft) tend to be sociable and relaxed. Loves to eat ectomorphic (thin and fragile) are introverted and restrained mesomorphic (muscular and hard) tend to be aggressive and adventurous, competitive Sheldon, using a correlational study, found that many convicts were mesomorphic, and they were least likely to be ectomorphic (Sheldon et al 1949).

Sheldon

Genetic - XYY Normal Male

Genetic - XYY XYY Male

Biological Theories Genetic - XYY Jacobs et al (1965) suggested that men with the XYY syndrome were more aggressive than normal 'XY' men. XYY men are over-represented in the prison population. There are 15 sufferers per 1,000 in prisons and 1 per 1000 in the general population. XYY Male

Positivist Theorists cont…
Biological Theories Positivist Theorists cont… In the 1960s, positivist criminologists argued that criminal behaviour lies in abnormal chromosomes The XYY theory argued that violent male criminals have an abnormal XYY chromosome (XY is the normal pattern in males) However, researchers soon found out that this was not true and that criminals had normal chromosomes and that non-criminals also had abnormal chromosomes. The Positivist theory of criminals being born rather than made died out. There were moral implications with this.

Neurophysiological – Gene based
Biological Theories Neurophysiological – Gene based PET Scanner

E.g. ADHD can lead to criminal behaviour

Gene-Based Evolutionary Theory..
Biological Theories Gene-Based Evolutionary Theory.. A general approach that suggests that the process of natural selection has resulted in criminal genetic tendencies that are passed down from generation to generation Another suggestion is that certain individuals, as a result of genetic predisposition or brain damage at birth, suffer from a cluster of symptoms which render them incapable of moral control and because of cortical under arousal, they are constantly seeking stimulation.

Biological Theories Neurochemical The brain’s chemistry can be influenced by diet, for example, food additives, pollution or hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar levels associated with forms of diabetes). Dawn Stanton attacked her husband with a knife when hypoglycaemic. But not all diabetics without insulin act criminally.

Neurochemical - Testosterone and Criminal Aggressiveness
Biological Theories Neurochemical - Testosterone and Criminal Aggressiveness Testosterone and Criminal Aggressiveness. A biochemistry approach that looks at the relationship between the male hormone testosterone and antisocial aggressive behavior. Individuals who take large amounts of steroids can become extremely violent (known as "roid rage"). Steroids, usually taken to increase muscle growth, also increase testosterone levels. Horace Williams, a body builder, beat a man to death after taking two thousand times the recommended dosage of steroids.

Twin studies – best way to prove if biological theories are truth
An 'MZ apart' study is when two monozygotic children have been brought up apart. If both turn out to be criminals then this would be support for the genetic explanation. The degree of similarity between two twins is known as the concordance rate. This rate can then be compared with dizygotic twins who are brought up together ('DZ together').

Monozygotic twins

Modern Day Example Philippe Rushton
University of Western Ontario psychology professor Rushton's book Race, Evolution, and Behavior (1995)tries to show that East Asians and their descendants average a larger brain size, greater intelligence, more sexual restraint, slower rates of maturation, and greater law abidingness and social organization than do Europeans and their descendants, who average higher scores on these dimensions than Africans and their descendants.

Biosocial Arousal Theory
This theory states that an individual’s level of arousal works in conjunction with the social environment. Those with low levels of arousal are less likely to learn appropriate ways to deal with aggression and violence and thus are more prone to commit crime.

Evaluation MZ twins look alike and may therefore generate more similar social responses than DZ twins. This means that in addition to sharing the same genes, they may also share an almost identical social environment. MZ twins often have a very close: relationship and may therefore develop similar interests, which might include criminal behaviour.

adoption studies – to prove biological approach has major flaws!
A retrospective study by Mednick et al (1987) looked at court convictions in a small European country and found 14,000 adoptees amongst them. The criminal records of their biological and adoptive parents were then investigated. Many of the adoptees had criminal biological parents (particularly strong relationship for sons and fathers). There was no relationship in the types of crime committed. Where there was an improvement in social conditions there was a reduction in crime (going against the genetic explanation).

SOCIOLOGICAL THEORIES

Sociological Perspectives: Theory of Anomie
Sociological Theorist: Emile Durkheim ( ) Durkheim believed people are community oriented unless they have no social ties – no ties, no link to society – this makes them more likely to be deviant Anomie= absence of social ties that bind people to society, state of where norms about good and bad have little salience in people’s lives. Outcome of advanced Capitalism and ideology of individualism (latter 20th century U.S.) Sociological Theories

Sociological Perspectives: Theory of Anomie cont.
People who live in cities feel more anonymous and isolated (as compared to rural life). No longer restrained by the strict norms of society (in rural life) and given the anonymity in a big city certain individuals turned to crime. Durkheim is also a father of functionalism (i.e., everyone has a role/function in society and that is how society runs/functions. Durkheim believes that criminals have a role and are needed for society to function If there were no crime, it would mean that everyone in society was the same and agreed on everything. This is no ideal and society would be too comforting – people need a release. Sociological Theories

Anomie cont… Example Kitty Genovese
Young woman stabbed to death on a street in New York City -1964 As many as 37 neighbours and bystanders all heard her screams for help. No one called the police because they all thought someone else would take action. Sociologists call this Diffusion of Responsibility Sociological Theories

Sociology cont… Ecological School
Believed that criminal behaviour was fostered and encouraged in certain environments. They studied a number of poor neighbourhoods and concluded that communities that suffered from high rates of poverty and social disintegration were more likely to condone criminal activity than more affluent neighbourhoods. Sociological Theories

Sociology cont… Social Conflict Theory
Karl Marx and Frederick Engels argued that the capitalist society encouraged crime as people competed for resources and wealth. Our society protects those with power and property. As a result, people who are economically disadvantaged are more likely to be punished by our justice system. The only way to solve the crime problem is to eliminate the capitalist system. Sociological Theories

Strain Theory (Sociology)
Current societies stress the goals of acquiring wealth, success, and power. However, the means to achieve these goals require education and economic resources. These means are frequently denied or unavailable to those who are economically disadvantaged or have little opportunity for formal education. Example: The Wire, Season 4, Episode 8 Young African American youth yearning for the chance to work on the streets to sell drugs because they know this is the only way they can make money. Sociological Theories

SOCIAL LEARNING THEORIES

Learning Theory – Pavlov’s Dog – Classical Conditioning
zI Social Learning Theories

Learning Theory – Operant Conditioning
MI Social Learning Theories

Learning Theories: Social Psychological Perspective
Social psychology is the study of the relations between individuals and people. They are interested in how ‘regular’ people can commit atrocious crimes. Stanley Milgram was specifically interested in how Nazi’s were able to commit horrible acts of genocide – he focused on how people could do this just by following orders. Social Learning Theories

…In relation to torturing
Displacement of responsibility and dehumanizing the victim are two categories of moral disengagement Bandura (1999) states, “People behave in ways they would normally oppose if a legitimate authority accepts responsibility for the consequences of that behavior. Under these conditions, people view their actions as the dictates of authorities rather than their own actions.” According to reports in the article, the torture and abuse of the civilians was approved and facilitated by the White House According to Bandura, (1999) person can justify torture by loosing empathy for the victim while convincing himself that the victim lacks human qualities. Furthermore, once the victim is dehumanized, he is no longer viewed as a person with feelings, concerns or hopes but as a subhuman object that is easily tortured (Bandura, 1999). Social Learning Theories

Bandura's Social learning theory
Bandura (1977) suggests that there are three aspects to motivation: 1. External reinforcement (as in operant theory) 2. Vicarious reinforcement – the observation of other people being rewarded or punished for their behaviour 3. Self-reinforcement – gaining internal satisfaction from an activity, which therefore motivates the individual to behave in a similar way in the future. Social Learning Theories

Bandura 1976 Observational learning is thought to take place primarily in three contexts: 1. In the family 2. in the prevalent sub culture 3. Through cultural symbols such as television and books. Social Learning Theories

PSYCHOLOGICAL THEORIES

Psychodynamic - Psychoanalytical Theory
Sigmund Freud believed that all humans have criminal tendencies. It is through socialization that these tendencies are controlled during childhood. If a child has an identity problem with his/her parent, this problem may cause the child to direct its antisocial tendencies outward and thus become a criminal. Psychological Human Development also comes into play here Psychological Theories

FREUDIAN APPROACH

Id, Ego, Superego ID - The id is the only component of personality that is present from birth. This aspect of personality is entirely unconscious and includes of the instinctive and primitive behaviors. According to Freud, the id is the source of all psychic energy, making it the primary component of personality. The EGO is the component of personality that is responsible for dealing with reality. According to Freud, the ego develops from the id and ensures that the impulses of the id can be expressed in a manner acceptable in the real world. The superego provides guidelines for making judgments. According to Freud, the superego begins to emerge at around age five – your concience Psychological Theories

ID EGO SUPEREGO IN ACTION
KU Psychological Theories

Freud Freud believed that children are born with a libido – a sexual (pleasure) urge. There are a number of stages of childhood, during which the child seeks pleasure from a different ‘object’. Psychological Theories

More Freud! To be psychologically healthy, we must successfully complete each stage. Mental abnormality can occur if a stage is not completed successfully – the person becomes ‘fixated’ in a particular stage. This particular theory shows how adult personality is determined by their childhood experiences. Psychological Theories

Freud’s Defense Mechanisms
Psychological Theories

Traumatic Experiences
Traumatic experiences in early childhood leave their mark on the individual despite the fact that the individual was not aware of these experiences. Psychological Theories

Freud and Effect of Family
Alexander and Healy (1935) suggested that children need to progress from the pleasure principal (being id dominated and therefore needing instant gratification) to the reality principle (where the ego is dominant). Criminals are those children who do not make this transition. According to Freud the child needs a stable home environment in order to successfully make this transition. Research has supported the fact that most criminals come from unstable homes. Psychological Theories

FREUDIAN APPROACH – Family & its effect
John Bowlby (1946) studied 44 juvenile delinquents and compared them with non-criminal disturbed juveniles. 39% of the delinquents had experienced complete separation from their mothers for six-months or more during the first five years of their lives compared with 5% of the control group. Psychological Theories

A Real Example: (Fred and Rosemary)
the effects of emotional or sexual abuse can well be believed when we find that 'serial killers' such as Frederick and Rosemary West suffered terribly as children (Wansell 1996). Psychological Theories

Fred & Rosemary West The ominous looking pair is one of the most notorious serial killer couples in modern British history. Before the two devils met, Fred was already a killer and rapist, together, the duo formed a deadly mix. Fred and Rosemary West terrorized Herefordshire, a historic English county in the West Midlands, for 20 years, by luring young girls back to their house where they kept them bound in the cellar. As a couple, they claimed ten victims including two members of their own family. There, they raped and tortured them until they grew bored with their victims, who were then killed and their dismembered body parts buried at or near the house where the West’s lived at the time. Terrorized Herefordshire for years by killing and sexually torturing mainly white teenage girls Incest was an accepted part of the household – the father of Ms. West would often come and have sex with his daughter while Mr. West voyeuristically watched Mr. West videotaped himself raping one of his daughters Psychological Theories

Child abuse Out of 36 sex murderers interviewed in the USA 42% were found to have been sexually abused as youngsters (Ressler et al 1988). Dietz and Warren (1995) found that 76% of the 41 serial rapists that they interviewed were abused when young. But only about 10% of abused children go on to commit crimes. Psychological Theories

SOCIAL BONDING & CONTROL THEORIES

Key Ideas Why is a person not a criminal? That is the central question asked by control theorists. Instead of asking why people break the law, this perspective wants to know why people do not break the law. Instead of focusing on choice, body type, the mind, or the learning process, control theorists look at how people are controlled by society. Has the individual bonded with society, and if so, how strong are those bonds? This perspective seeks the same basic answers to the crime problem, but asks a slightly different question. Weak to moderate support has been found for control and self-control theories.

Social Bonding Theory A control theory that states that individuals will commit criminal or delinquent acts when their ties (bonds) to society are weakened or have broken. There are four types of bonds: attachment, commitment, involvement, and belief. When the bonds are strong, an individual will refrain from criminal activity.

External & Internal Control Theory
External Control. A concept in control theory in which agents outside the control of the individual are responsible for keeping that individual from committing criminal or deviant acts. These agents include parents, teachers, or members of law enforcement. Internal Control. A concept in control theory that explains why a person will not commit a criminal act by reference to the person internally monitoring and controlling his or her own behavior. This includes such things as feelings of guilt and not wanting to disappoint others.

FEMINIST THEORY

Feminist Theory Feminist theory is still in development, and no one version has gained prominence over the others. While there are different versions of feminist theory, similarities remain. Feminist theory examines the role of patriarchy in society and the manner in which women are put in a subservient position to men. Feminist theorists seek to explain why men commit more crime than women, and they question whether theories developed by men and for men adequately explain female crime and deviance. feminist theorists examine the role society puts women in, identifies their strengths and vulnerabilities, and seeks to use that basis to understand female criminality. Feminist theorists then predict future rates of female offending and propose system reactions to female offending. It must be noted however, that not all feminists view these issues the same, and feminist perspectives often change based upon the age, race, and status of the both the feminist researcher, and the feminist as victim.

CASE STUDY – JOHN WAYNE GACY

John Wayne Gacy Jr. – How did he grow up to be a murderer?
Theorists consider moral behaviour to be self-regulated through mechanisms of self-evaluation where one can approve or disapprove irresponsible or inhumane behaviour It clear that Gacy showed a lack of moral behaviour and hence, in the act was not able to disapprove his behaviour adequately to avoid it completely. Bandura (1977), states that most violent acts and inhumanities are perpetrated by people who, in other areas of their life are quite considerate in their behaviour. This describes Gacy’s behaviour perfectly as he was very friendly, well liked by the neighbours and was largely involved in the community; no one would assume he was capable of such casualties. Moreover, Gacy illustrated moral disengagement by justifying his murderous acts

Cont… According to Sigelman and Rider (2009), children who are raised in abusive environments can grow up to become abusers and to learn that violence is an integral part of human relationships. Hence, it can be argued that Gacy’s immoral, violent and murderous adulthood is rooted in the violence from his childhood. Furthermore, abusers are often insecure individuals with low self-esteem Furthermore, abusers are often insecure individuals with low self- esteem. Abusers can form negative internal working models of themselves and others, which are most likely rooted in unhappy experiences in insecure relationships with parents and negative experiences in romantic relationships although his father hurt him physically and emotionally, Gacy desperately sought his father’s approval but was never able to achieve it. This insecurity led him to failed marriages and more interestingly, to his attraction to hiding himself under clown costumes and make-up in order for the children in the community to like him.

John Wayne Gacy Jr.

What is serial murder? Ed Mitchell, in his thesis, University of Cambridge, UK. The aetiology of serial murder: towards an integrated model. Said: "Definitions of serial murder / homicide differ between authors, but most agree that to qualify as a serial killer / murderer an offender must kill at least two victims in temporally unrelated incidents This temporal criterion is usually satisfied by a "cooling off" or "refractory" period between killings, ranging from hours to years.” Furthmore, “The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) defines serial murder as the killing of several victims in three or more separate incidents over weeks or an extended period. Others argue for a higher number of victims (Dietz [1986] requires a minimum of 5 victims), but such a distinction is rarely useful and merely serves to further a "body-count" mentality. Indeed, the only difference between an offender who kills 1 victim (but who might have killed 100 if he had been able) and another who kills 30 may be the latter's good fortune in evading detection. Therefore, distinguishing motive from opportunity may be difficult.”

What does this crime scene tell you about the offender responsible?

Two important ideas Behavioural evidence Criminal consistency
Things that tells us how an offender went about committing a crime Criminal consistency The idea that a person’s behaviour at a crime scene is consistent with their behaviour in other contexts

Typological offender profiling
Developed by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the 1970s and 1980s. Key ideas: There are different types of offenders Behavioural evidence can tell us which type of offender committed a crime Knowing an offender’s type allows us to predict other things about him Generally used in cases of serial violence against strangers esp. sexual or ‘bizarre’

FBI profiling process Data assimilation
Data compiled from police reports, post mortems, crime scene photos etc. Crime classification Profilers decide whether the crime scene is organised or disorganised Profile generation Offender’s physical, demographic and behavioural characteristics Crime reconstruction Hypotheses about crime sequence, offender & victim behaviour etc.

Types of crime scene Organised Disorganised General approach
Planned and controlled Unplanned and chaotic Weapons Brought to the scene Improvised Evidence Destroyed or removed Left at scene Victim Attempts to control Little attempt at control Offender Unknown to victim Socially & sexually competent Normal/high intelligence Angry/depressed Possibly known to victim Socially & sexually inept Low intelligence Anxious/psychotic

Profile the Following Three Crime Scenes
Note that these are the same ones we looked at last Thursday. On a separate piece of paper, or within that package you are to complete the following for all three crime scenes. This is for 15 marks (5 per scene)! Use the evidence to construct a profile: Organised or disorganised Behavioural evidence Relevant characteristics of serial offenders for this scene Your profile should… Tell the story of the crime Describe the profile of the person responsible and why. Your answer for each scene could be done in 4-6 sentences each.

Why do people commit Crimes?

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