Week 5 Flashcards
Biological Theories of Juvenile Offending
biogenic
Delinquency is a reflection of “certain hereditary traits or genetics anomalies that predisposes the individual or criminal behavior”
Most early biological theories have been discredited as biased and methodologically weak
Historical Biological Theories Examples
Largely debunked
- atavism
- body type
- hereditary theories
atavism
Lombroso !
1900s-mid century
Influenced by evolutionary
“Some people are biologically predisposed to be criminals”
Took it a step further
You can identify this based on their skull and physical features
They are a “separate class of humans”
→ “homo delinquents”
biological determinism
Body type
Hooton !
Adult criminals are inferior to non-criminals
You can tell this by their physical characteristics
Red hair; mixed eye color; long necks; tall/heavy men - more likely to be murderers
Sheldon -
Linked to juveniles
Endomorph
Ectomorph
Mesomorph
- Found that these people would be criminals
endomorph
said to have a higher percentage of body fat and muscle mass
ectomorph
tall and slim, with narrow shoulders and a low muscle mass percentage
mesomorph
marked by greater than average muscular development
fast metabolism
Hereditary Theories
Early theorists (late 1800s)
Believed all “unsavory” behaviors were family traits
- Delinquency
reflection on historical biological theories
While these theories are bad, they were the first efforts that linked delinquent behavior to factors that weren’t able to changed
Led to ACE, factors that children can’t change
current biological theories
- genetic influences
- XYY chromosomes
- brain disorders
- interdisciplinary research (biochemistry, hereditary, immunology, neuroscience, etc)
- nature vs nurture
genetic influences
Twin studies: Monozygotic (identical) vs Dizygotic (not identical)
Adoption studies
XYY chromosomes
Disproportionate to the population; studied only tall, male prisoners; didn’t compare
Asserts that certain chromosomal abnormalities may precipitate violence and/or criminal conduct
X chromosomes designate female characteristics - passive
Y chromosomes designate male characteristics - aggressive
XX - female
XY - male
XYY - supermale - in some instances responsible for criminal behaviors among those observed to possess it
Can only explain a tiny fraction among males; not females
psychological theories of juvenile offending
psychoanalytic and social learning theory (SLT)
psychoanalytic theory
External behavior as a manifestation of internal pathology
Seeks to identify common traits cross individuals
Uses stages of development
freud’s take
Personality framed early in life and comprised of:
Id: instinctual drives; immediate gratification
Ego: recognition of and respect for others; societal norms
Superego; moral reasoning; conscience
The Id is the first to develop, eventually suppressed by the Ego
Superego develops around age 5 as child internalizes morals/values of caregivers
Delinquent behavior results from underdeveloped Ego and/or Superego, often as a result of early life experiences
Parents become a focus
Psychoanalytic Theory: Defense Mechanisms
Internal conflict leads to defense mechanisms → “Problematic Behaviors”
defense mechanisms
projection, displacement, reaction formation, repression, regression, compartmentalization, rationalization, sublimation, denial
compartmentalization
When people mentally separate conflicting thoughts, emotions, or experiences to avoid the discomfort of contradiction
Doctor going into surgery; want to help people; have to put that aside to cut a person open
Social Learning Theory (SLT)
Behavior is learned within social contexts
- observation/modeling
Individual characteristics + behavior +environment
- All shape and influence the replication of behavior
Bandura also emphasized the importance of cognition in observational learning, including the role of anticipating rewards or punishments
- Bobo doll experiment
Engagement in crime is more likely among individuals who perceive that the benefits of deviant behavior will outweigh the costs
- Juveniles; less understanding of longer term consequences; superego isn’t fully developed
SLT and Delinquent Behavior
modeling
environment
sociobiology
sociobiology
The study of the “biological basis for social action”
Stimulates interest in and directs attention toward the role of genetics in human behavior
modeling
family environment
copying
reflection
violent video games?
environment
driven by the environment and principles of operant conditioning
Rewards vs punishment
Burgess and Akers’ SLT
differential reinforcement
- imitation
- definitions
- differential association
- attitudes
- behaviors
differential reinforcement
operant conditioning
imitation
indirect or direct observation of others’ behavior
definition
attitudes about behavior
differential association
association with delinquency vs prosocial groups
attitudes
settled way of thinking
behavior
physical or external action/expression; can be observed
Mental Illness and Offending STATS
High rates of mental illness among youth impacted by the juvenile and adult justice systems
70% of youth in detention settings have at least one diagnosable mental health disorder (9-22% in community)
10x more likely to suffer from psychosis than youth in community
Most common diagnoses include:
ADHD, CD, SUD, anxiety, PTSD, depression
Mental Illness and Juvenile Offending
Difficult relationship to disentangle
The symptoms underlying certain disorders may bring youth to the attention of the juvenile/criminal justice system
Several meta-analyses have shown that the following factors are positively correlated with youth violence:
Restlessness
Hyperactivity
Impulsivity
Difficulty concentrating
Increased risk taking behaviors
Internalizing behaviors (nervousness, worry, depressive symptoms) not necessarily related or may reduce likelihood
What is Trauma?
Trauma is a “deeply distressing experience”
“Actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence”
Stressful events not involving an immediate threat to life or physical injury such as psychosocial stressors are not considered trauma in this definition
trauma
Typically, singular incident
Time limit
Impacts on the way you view the world, your place in the world
May also lead to patterns of behavior/dysregulation, ut may be more environmental specific
complex trauma
The experience of multiple, chronic and prolonged, developmentally adverse traumatic events, most often an interpersonal nature and early life onset
Frequently occur within the child’s caregiving or attachment system
Can lead to patterns of dysregulation across areas of development, namely emotional and regulatory, intrapersonal, interpersonal, and cognitive development
There are significant differences among children who have endured isolated, acute, and non-interpersonal traumas (accidents, natural disasters, etc), versus those who have endured more chronic, sequential, and interpersonal forms of trauma (abuse, neglect, maltreatment, etc)
Differential association
Strongest empirical support
Peer contagion effects
Moderating factors?
Research v. practice
peer contagion effects
Association with a deviant peer group reinforces problem behavior through the mechanism of deviancy training, which involves receiving positive reinforcement from peers for engaging in deviant talk
Youth with lower level offending may be particularly vulnerable
psychopathy and youth
Youth cannot be diagnosed with psychopathy (or any personality disorder)
Research indicates that psychopathic traits may be found among some youth
Focus is on Callous-Unemotional (CU) traits such as lack of remorse, lack of guilt, lack of empathy, shallow or deficient affect
Captured in DSM 5 diagnosis of Conduct Disorder
trauma and juvenile offending
Trauma exposure and traumatic stress symptoms related to juvenile justice-involvement
Complex Trauma vs. Trauma
High rates of trauma exposure among youth in JJ settings – retrospective designs
Traumatic-stress symptoms may bring youth to the attention of the justice system
trauma vs complex trauma
There are significant differences among children who have endured isolated, acute, and non-interpersonal traumas (e.g., accidents, natural disasters, etc.), versus those who have endured more chronic, sequential, and interpersonal forms of trauma (e.g., abuse, neglect, maltreatment, etc.).
classical theory
A criminological perspective indicating that people have free will to choose either criminal or conventional behavior
People choose to commit crime for reasons of greed or personal need
Cesare Beccaria
Book - On Crimes and Punishments
The classical school of criminology started here
Christianity
classical school
Assumes that people are rational beings who exercise free will in choosing between good actions and evil ones
hedonism
Jeremy Bentham
Pursuit of pleasure
Primary motivator underlying much social and personal action
positivism
Branch of social science that uses the scientific method of the natural sciences and suggests that human behavior is a product of social, biological, psychological, or economic factors
Positive school of criminology
School of criminological thought emphasizing analysis of criminal behaviors through empirical indicators, such as physical features, compared with biochemical explanations
Fetal alcohol syndrome/fetal alcohol spectrum disorders
Pregnant women who drink heavily place the fetus at increased risk for developmental and behavioral problems
