Week 5 Flashcards by Taylor Taiwo

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

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Historical Biological Theories Examples

Largely debunked

atavism
body type
hereditary theories

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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

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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

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endomorph

said to have a higher percentage of body fat and muscle mass

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ectomorph

tall and slim, with narrow shoulders and a low muscle mass percentage

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mesomorph

marked by greater than average muscular development

fast metabolism

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Hereditary Theories

Early theorists (late 1800s)
Believed all “unsavory” behaviors were family traits
- Delinquency

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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

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current biological theories

genetic influences
XYY chromosomes
brain disorders
interdisciplinary research (biochemistry, hereditary, immunology, neuroscience, etc)
nature vs nurture

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genetic influences

Twin studies: Monozygotic (identical) vs Dizygotic (not identical)
Adoption studies

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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

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psychological theories of juvenile offending

psychoanalytic and social learning theory (SLT)

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psychoanalytic theory

External behavior as a manifestation of internal pathology
Seeks to identify common traits cross individuals
Uses stages of development

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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

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Psychoanalytic Theory: Defense Mechanisms

Internal conflict leads to defense mechanisms → “Problematic Behaviors”

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defense mechanisms

projection, displacement, reaction formation, repression, regression, compartmentalization, rationalization, sublimation, denial

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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

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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

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

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