forensics Flashcards

Question

too simplistic | limitation- idea that offending is explained by personality tests alone

Answer 1

the distinction between offending behaviour that occurs in teens only and that which continues into adulthood, personality traits alone- poor predictor of how long offending behaviour would go on for persistence in offending- result of a reciprocal process between personality trait and environmental reactions to those triats more complex picture than suggested offering behaviour is determined by an interaction between personality and environment

Answer 2

criminal personality may vary according to culture studied Hispanic and African American offenders in max prison NY divided into 6 groups based on offending history and nature of the offence all 6 groups were less extravagant than non-offender control group the sample was a very different cultural group from eysenck how far the criminal personality can be generalised and suggest it may be a culturally relative concept

Answer 3

built on the possibility to measure personality usefulness of EPQ based on potential for real-world application- see how it differs from the rest of the pop early criminal traits could be recognised however personality type may to be reducible to score too complex and dynamic to be quantified people in different mods and personalities all at once not tapping into the persons essence or revealing stable criminal traits undermines any claims eysenck made about being able to identify natural criminal using the EPQ as personality may not be static

Answer 4

higher stage= more sophisticated the reasoning many studies have suggested that offenders tend to show a lower level of moral reasoning group of violent youths were at a significantly lower level of moral development than non violent youths even after controlling for social background

Answer 5

offenders are more likely to be classified at the pre-conventional level non-offenders- conventional level and beyond pre-convention- need to avoid punishment gain rewards less mature childlike reasoning offenders are more self centred and display poorer social perspective-taking skills than non offending peers higher levels tend to sympathisers more with the rights of others and exhibit more conventional behaviour eg honesty generosity non violence

Answer 6

stage 1 punishment orientatied rules are obeyed to avoid punishment stage 2 instrumental orientation or person gain rules are obeyed for person gain

Answer 7

stage 3 good person orientation rules are obeyed for approval stage 4 maintenance of social order rules are obeyed to maintain social order

Answer 8

stage 5 morality of contract and individual rights rules are challenged if they infringe on the right of others stage 6 morality of conscience individuals have a personal set of ethical principles

Answer 9

comapred moral reasoning in 332 non offenders and 126 convicted offenders using the socio moral reflection measure short form contains 11 moral dilemma questions offender group showed less mature moral reasoning than the non offender group consistent with predcictions

Answer 10

people who committed crimes for financial gain were more likely to show pre conventional moral reasoning than those convicted of impulsive crimes eg assault. pre-conventional moral reasoning tends to be associated with crime in which offenders believe they have a good chance of evading punishing doesn't apply to all forms of crime

Answer 11

insight to the mechanics of criminal mind offenders- more childlike and self centred when it comes to moral judgement than law abiding majority offender struggle with perspective of others- may explain the lack of empathy that drives them to commit crime however moral thinking isn't the same as moral behaviour use of moral dilemma poor predictor of real life behaviour low external validity moral reasoning is more interested likely to be used to justify behaviour after its happened than before understanding moral behaviour may be more useful as not everyone who has criminal thoughts will act on them.

Answer 12

We learn pro-offending or anti-offending values/attitudes through different people we associate with.

Answer 13

Sutherland wanted to identify the conditions that cause crime when they are present but not when they are absent. designed to separate between people who become offenders and those who don't

Answer 14

- interactions with significant others values most and spends most time with eg family or peers - mathematically predict how likely it is that an individual will commit offences Offenders learn attitudes towards offending exposed to values and attidues towards the law pro crime outweigh anti crime- will offend specific offending acts or techniques. learn techniques for committing offences

Answer 15

Reoffending is high because prisoners associate with each other and learn techniques through imitation and direct tuition. more experienced offenders teach less skills which they use when released

Answer 16

moving the emphasis away from early bio accounts and from offending= product of individual weakness or immorality draws attention to deviant social circumstances and environments more to blame for offending than deviant people more desirable- more realistic solutions to offending instead of eugenics or punishment

Answer 17

DA runs the risk of stereotyping people from impoverished crime ridden backgrounds theory tends to suggest that exposure to pro crime values is sufficient to produce offending ignores people may choose to not offend despite such influences not everyone exposed will go offende

Answer 18

``` some types of crime eg burglary clustered within certain inner city working class- also the case that some are clustered amongst more affluent groups in society white-collar- a feature of middle class social groups who share deviant norms and values not just lower classes who commit offences and principles can be used to explain all offences ```

Answer 19

provided scientific mathematical framework within offending can be predicted- must be testable prob- concepts cant be tested- not operationalised hard to see how the number of pro crime attidues a person has or been exposed to could be measured built on the assumption that offending occurs when pro crime outnumber anti crime we cant know when the urge to offend is relaised and the offending career triggered doesn't have scientific credibility

Answer 20

if the superego is somehow deficient then offending behaviour is inevitable- ID is given free rein and not properly controlled Superego formed out of phallic stage when Oedipus/Electra conflict resolved, but offending more likely when Superego is inadequate. Weak Superego- Child does not identify with same-gender parent (may be absent), so does not internalise moral code, no ‘conscience’. Deviant Superego- Child internalises an immoral Superego from e.g. criminal father, no guilt about offending. Over-harsh Superego- Child identifies with very harsh same-gender parent, overwhelming guilt and anxiety, offends to satisfy Superego’s need for punishment.

Answer 21

Inadequate Superego allows primitive, irrational, emotional demands (the Id) to guide moral behaviour. acknowledges to role of anxiety and guilt in the development of offending behaviour lack of guilt is relevant to understanding offending behaviour

Answer 22

Bowlby: offending caused by failure to form close attachment bond with mother-figure in first two years leading to affectionless psychopathy- lack of guilt empath and feeling for others. shown in 44 juvenile thieves study 14/44 showed personality and behavioural characteristics of affectionless psychopathy 12/14 experienced prolonged separation

Answer 23

10 offenders referred for psychiatric treatment all assessed- disturbances in supeego were diagnosed each offender experience unconscious feelings of guilt and the need for self punishment consequences of an over harsh supergo need for punishment manifesting itself as a desire to commit acts of wrongdoing and offend support the role of psychic conflict and over harsh superego as a basis for offending

Answer 24

if correct expect harsh parents to raise children who constantly experience feelings fo guilt and anxiety evidence suggest the opposite is true parents who rely on harsher forms of discipline tend to raise children who are rebellious and rarely express feelings of guilt or self criticism calls into question the relationship between a strong harsh internal parent and excessive feelings of guilt within the child

Answer 25

girls develop weaker superego than boys bc identification with the same gender parent is not as strong girls dont experience intense emotion associated with castration anxiety therefore are under less pressure to identify with their mothers their superego is less fully realised implication- women should be more prone to offending than men rates of imprisonment show the opposite is true 1: 20 women :men in prison study children required to resist temptation found any evidence of gender differences if so- girls tended to be more moral than boys there is alpha bias - not appropriate as an explanation of offending behaviour

Answer 26

analysed data from interviews t 500 people maternal deprivation= poor predictor of future offending if link- children who have experienced frequent or prolonged separation from their mothers and offending in later life not causal other links- growing up in poverty maternal deprivation may be one of the reason for later offending but not the only

Answer 27

first to link early experiences in childhood to moral behaviour and offending draws attention to emotional basis ignored by other explanations eg bio emphasis on the role of guilt and anxiety in the development of a criminal career not open to empirical testing lack of supporting evidence- only judged at face value > scientific worth core principles don't meet the scientific criterion of falsifiability practical value is limited have contributed but lack credible scientific basis