What causes criminal behaviour Flashcards
What is the difference between distal and proximal factors?
Distal: historical
Proximal: immediate and situational.
What is a “risk factor”?
factors that increase the likelihood of someone committing a crime.
What do we mean when we say our risk factors are meta-analytic?
Define the commonality of certain traits using statistics. Correlation doesn’t mean causation.
What is an issue we have when studying risk factors in criminals?
We do not know if the incarceration caused the factor, or the factor caused the crime.
Depressed cause in prison or criminal cause depression.
What is the name of the 4 main risk factors of the Central 8 risk factors?
The big 4
Name the 8 factors of the central 8 risk factors in order:
Anti-social behavior Anti-social personality Anti-social cognition Anti-social associates Family/marital School/work Leisure/recreation Substance abuse
What are some minor risk factors. What % of criminals have those?
0-10%
personal and emotional distress, mental/physical health problems, fear of punishment, physical conditioning, low IQ, social class, seriousness of current offence.
To be considered a risk factor, anti-social behaviors need to be ____, ___ and _____.
early, diverse and continued.
Anti-social behaviors are _____ and they exclude/include victimless crimes.
What are the 2 other differences between crimes and anti-social behaviors?
offensive
exclude
They do not necessarily break laws and there is no detection/punishment system.
What are anti-social behaviors? Give examples.
Act that cause or are likely to cause harassment, alarm, or distress to someone from a different household.
Hitting, slapping, punching, lying, cheating, stealing, running away.
What do people with anti-social behaviors need?
Alternate behaviors to respond to their environment.
What are the symptoms of an anti-social personality?
What do these people need?
Adrenaline seekers, problems with self-control, restlessly agressive.
Need help with problem-solving.
What are the symptoms of anti-social cognition?
What do these people need?
Attitudes, values, and beliefs that support crimes. People believe that the government is out to get them.
Need to develop less risky thinking.
What does it mean to have anti-social associates?
What do these people need?
Immediate circle of people who have anti-social behaviours, personality or cognition.
Need to reduce those associations, often parole conditions.
Explain why family/marital can be a risk factor?
What do these people need?
Lack of nurturing, caring, and/or supervision.
Need to reduce interpersonal conflict and increase/build good relationships.
