Psychological Explanations of Criminal Behaviour

1. Psychological Explanations of Criminal Behaviour Introduction Winter 2015

2. What is it we want to understand? What “behaviour” are we trying to explain? Any unlawful behaviour? Criminal behaviour? Serious criminal behaviour? Violent behaviour? Recidivistic criminal behaviour? Antisocial behaviour?

3. Criminal vs. Antisocial Behaviour What is antisocial behaviour? • behavioursthatare costly or injurious to the individual perpetrator, other citizens, and/or society overall. Fishbein, 2001

4. Criminal Behaviour Not necessarily offensive to most people Includes victimless crimes Violates criminal laws Detection by CJS Antisocial Behaviour Offends most people Usually excludes victimless crimes May not violate criminal laws official detection not required Fishbein, 2001 Criminality vs. Antisocial Behaviour

5. Varied Cases Vancouver City Police arrested a 32-year old Abbotsford man allegedly responsible for a string of purse snatchings. The purse snatcher targeted older women who were walking. The perpetrator would push his victims to the ground, grab their purses from them, and leave. The Province, August 24, 2008

6. Varied Cases Without warning a 40-year old man on a Greyhound bus repeatedly stabbed the passenger who was asleep in the seat next to him. He then decapitated the victim and held the victim’s head up for the other passengers to see. Witnesses described the assailant as calm, like “a robot or something”. CBC News, July 31, 2008

7. Varied Cases Three former executives of Nortel Networks were charged with a variety offences for allegedly misstating and making false entries concerning the company’s financial results and acting with the intent to deceive or defraud the members, shareholders and creditors of the company. Vancouver Sun, June 20, 2008

8. Varied Cases The mayor of PoCo burst into his ex-girlfriend’s home and assaulted her boyfriend. On arrival, police found he was very intoxicated. He had also stopped taking antidepressants just prior to the incident. The Province, July 25, 2008

9. “Causes” of criminal behaviour? • What do you think are the causes of criminal behaviour?

10. Many layers to “Causes” Biological Personal Interpersonal Situational Social

11. What is Psychology? Psychology may be defined as: • The scientific study of behaviour and mental processes. Three elements of this definition: • Psychology is empirical in nature • Observation of behaviour • Infer mental processes

12. Psychology in Criminology • Criminology is a multidisciplinary study of crime. • Psychological criminology: • This is the science of the behaviour and mental process of individuals who commit crimes. Focus on individual differences • Cognitions (attitudes, beliefs, thoughts and values) , emotions, behaviours

13. What is Theory? • Offers explains for variety of phenomenon in real world • Interconnected propositions used to explain how events/factors relate • Helps us understand why things happen • Provides dimension of knowing beyond mere info or observation

14. The Nature of Theory • May be simple or complex • May be concrete or abstract • Used in our everyday lives • Allows for generalizations • Allows for predictions (in some circumstances)

15. Why Study Theory • Take info & organize in meaningful way • models or explanatory frameworks • Provides way to think about crime & criminal behaviour & way to explain it within social world

16. Components of a good theory • Must be testable • Fits research evidence • Critiques : • Simplistic • Misses assumptions • Human behaviour can’t always be empirically tested • May miss broader context

17. We will be examining various theories in an attempt to explain criminal behaviors… the explanations are only as good as the theories available to us TODAY

18. Psychology in Criminology • Assumptions of Psychological Theories • Assumption of offender deficit: • The view that offenders who break the law have some psychological deficit that distinguishes them from normal law-abiding citizens • Assumption of discriminating traits: • The view that offenders are distinguished from non-offenders by, for example, their high levels of impulsiveness and aggression

19. Nature vs. Nurture Nature • behaviour is primarily a function of our genes and resulting biological form Nurture • behaviour is primarily a function of our environment and resulting social influences

20. An Example of Integrated Approach Diathesis-Stress Model • Not nature vs. nurture, Nature + Nurture Diathesis – a inherited or biological predisposition or vulnerability to express a certain trait or behaviour • biological conditions set the stage for how an individual responds to environmental stressors • dynamic interaction between biological & social causes

21. What needs to be accounted for? Philadelphia Cohort Study (Wolfgang, 1983) • 12% of the 1958 birth cohort (N = 28,338) accounted for 85% of all official delinquent acts recorded between ages 10 to 18 years Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development (Farrington, 1997) • 6% of the sample of 411 males from London, UK had  6 offences by age 40 years and they accounted for half of all convictions for the entire sample

23. BIG 4 CRIMINAL CORRELATES • LESS 4 CRIMINAL CORRELATES • FACTORS THAT ARE NOT RELATED TO CRIME

24. Evaluating theories A “good” theory should… support theoretical interrelationships with research inform interventions that reduce criminal behaviour predict variation in criminal behaviour • intra-individual • inter-individual account for criminal behaviour across gender, culture & ethnicity

25. Complexity • Because crime and criminal behavior is complex, explanations of crime require complicated, involved answers. • No one theory explains. Multidisciplinary! • Most people have limited tolerance for complexity and ambiguity = want easy, straightforward answers. • Vast explanations, and often poorly integrated and understood.

26. There is no one true theory that will rightly explain crime & criminal behaviour; there is no one theory that will render all others wrongly conceived • Theories are not ‘truth’ - in reality, they are describing reality

27. 1) SMALL GROUP ACTIVITY TO COMPLETE IN CLASS AND HAND IN TODAY • 2) WORK TO COMPLETE AND HAND IN NEXT WEEK (Yes it will count towards your participation mark!)