Characteristics of Criminal Behaviour Flashcards
What is Andrews and Bonta’s (1998) definition of criminal behaviour?
An act prohibited by the law and punished by the state
An action considered to be a violation of moral or religious code
An action that violates norms of society
An action that causes serious psychological stress and damage to a victim
What is meant by the statement ‘Crime is a Social Construct’?
If society tells us a an act is illegal, everyone in society believes this
The definition of crime does not consider other contexts
What are some examples of actions that used to be a crime in the UK but are not anymore?
Abortion
Homosexual acts
Insulting the royal family
What are some examples of actions that we were not aware are crimes?
Gambling in a library
Being homeless
Having a heart attack in public
What are some examples of actions that are crimes in other countries but are not criminal in the UK?
Jaywalking
Free speech
Taking pictures of parliamentary buildings
What did Muncle & McLaughlin (1996) say about criminal behaviours in everyday life?
Most people have demonstrated several criminal behaviours before e.g. littering, using social media under 13, speeding and vaping in a car
What is an example to show that criminal behaviour is not always wrong?
Nelson Mandela - Arrested fro campaigning against a prejudice government
Emmeline Pankhurst - Arrested for fighting for women’s rights
How many types of crime did Farr & Gibbons (1990) describe?
Seven
Name the seven types of crime.
Property predatory crime
Property fraudulent crime
Interpersonal violence general
Interpersonal violence sexual
Transactional vice
Order disruption
Folk/ mundane crime
Describe property predatory crime and give an example.
Persons are involved in attempting or taking property without permission e.g. robbery, car theft and burglary
Describe property fraudulent crime and give an example.
Persons are involved in deceit or manipulation with the purpose of converting property of others to their own e.g. freud and bribery
Describe interpersonal violence general and give an example.
Persons are involved in actions that cause personal harm e.g. murder, assault and kidnapping
Describe interpersonal violence sexual and give an example.
Persons are involved in actions that cause personal harm containing a sexual element e.g. rape and sexual abuse
Describe transactional vice and give an example.
Persons are involved in victimless offences in an exchange of services e.g. prostitution and drug dealing
Describe order disruption and give an example.
Persons are involved in actions where there is no direct victims however there are uprising concerns of victims e.g. resisting arrest, loitering and rioting
Describe folk/ mundane crime and give an example.
A broad category whereby persons are involved in actions ranging in minor rule violations e.g. copyright and not paying TV licences
What are career criminals?
Criminals who commit crimes to finance their own lives and build their life on criminal lifestyles
Name the traits of career criminals.
Rationalisation
Entitlement
Asocial value system
Sentimental
Impulsive
Family dysfunction
Easily distracted
Power centric
Cognitive laziness
Describe the rationalisation trait.
People tend to blame and question others and generally do not evaluate the consequences of their actions
Describe the entitlement trait.
Self-centered and oblivious to the needs of all others
Describe the asocial value system trait.
Rarely shows remorse and empathy for their actions
Describe the sentimental trait.
Criminals see themselves in a positive light and feel sentimental towards certain things e.g. dogs
Describe the impulsive trait.
An inability to control one’s behaviour and temperament
Describe the family dysfunction trait.
Lack of emotional and financial family support leads to other problems
Describe the easily distracted trait.
Distraction issues and often lose focus on legitimate goals
Describe the power centric trait.
Habitual offenders tend to look at situations as a power struggle, a battle between the strong and the weak
Describe the invincibility trait.
Often have self-inflicted sense of optimism ‘ill never get caught’
Describe the cognitive laziness trait.
The lack of ambition and lack of well-thought ideas
What did Holmes & Holmes (2002) say about characteristics of serial killers?
Many serial killers shared the same characteristics of white, male and between the ages 25 - 34 and usually are intelligent and charismatic
What are the four types / characteristics of serial killers?
Visionary
Mission Oriented
Hedonistic
Power control
Describe the visionary type / characteristic of a serial killer.
Motivated to kill by voices or visions in their head
Frequently report their actions are due from God or the Devil
Kill quickly and do not engage in staging a crime
Often usually declared insane or incompetent
Describe the missed oriented type / characteristic of a serial killer.
Believe they have a calling to eliminate certain groups of people for a better society
The killer may stalk a potential victim
Generally displays an organised typology (clean crime scene)
Describe the hedonistic type / characteristic of a serial killer.
Have two stereotypes: thrill and comfort
Established link between sexual gratification and violence
Distinct processes for them to follow during crime
Describe the power control type / characteristic of a serial killer.
Derives from sexual gratification from dominating and controlling the life of another
May be a sociopath and they choose to live by their own rules whilst knowing societal values
Large gratification from prolonging crimes
May use weapons or strangle them
