Theories Of Offending

Question 1

Psychobiological theories

Answer 1

Lombroso

Question 2

Lombroso

Answer 2

He examined the individual rather than working on the crime alone

• criminals are born and not made
• role of environment was minimal in shaping behaviour

Question 3

Criticism

Answer 3

• lacks explanatory power, needs further consideration or social and environmental factors

Question 4

What sets the potential for future behaviour?

Answer 4

Normal genetic variability

Question 5

Family studies

Answer 5

Criminal behaviour runs in families

Question 6

Rowe and osgood (1984)

Answer 6

Looked at the importance of genetic, environment and individual factors on self reported delinquency

Question 7

Development of antisocial behaviour

Answer 7

Risk factors in childhood can predict antisocial behaviour in adults
- biological, behavioural and social indicators

Question 8

Longitudinal studies

Answer 8

• data collected at different ages/points
• same individuals involved
• data collected from different sources
• use follow up period
• minimum 5 year follow up

Question 9

Farmington and West (1990) - The Cambridge Study

Answer 9

• longitudinal study of 411 London males aged 8-48
• 20% had acquired convictions by age 17
• 33% by age 25
• 77% of those convicted as juveniles reconvicted between 17-24 and 45% at 25-34

Question 10

Common characteristics: childhood

Answer 10

• troublesome
• dishonest
• came from poor larger families
• more likely to have criminal parents
• experienced family conflict
• experiences harsh/ erratic discipline off parents

Question 11

Age 10

Answer 11

Identified as hyperactive
Impulsive
Unpopular rated low intelligence

Question 12

age 14

Answer 12

Aggressive

Had delinquent friends

Question 13

Age 18

Answer 13

Drank more
Smoked more
Gambled
Associated with gangs

Question 14

Age 32

Answer 14

Poorer housing
Marital break up
Psychiatric disorder
Problem with own children

Question 15

Key protective factors

Answer 15

1. high iQ
2. low impulsiveness
3. good parenting
4. greater school enjoyment
5. pro-social peer group
6. balanced parental discipline
7. good employment
8. good marriage
9. parental interest in education

Question 16

Risk factors for conduct disorder and delinquency - Murray and Farmington (2010)

Answer 16

• low intelligence
• poor parental supervision
• large family
• criminality in family
• child physical abuse
• antisocial peers/parents
• erratic parenting
• substance use
• low school attendance
• parental conflict
• low family income
• high crime neighbourhood
• high delinquency rate schools

Question 17

Why is knowing risk and protective family’s relevant?

Answer 17

• leads to early identification at risk of young people
• gives direction on what can work
• suggests ways we can work to strengthen and protect young people
• helps us in the development of theories

Question 18

Personality theories

Answer 18

Eysenck

Question 19

Eysenck

Answer 19

Child socialisation occurs through the process of conditioning
- the association of anti-social behaviour with unpleasant punishment

Question 20

What does an individuals conditionability depend on?

Answer 20

An individuals personality

Question 21

Child develops a conscience..

Answer 21

In a way that prevents them from behaving in an anti social way

Question 22

How does personality affect behaviour?

Answer 22

Through it’s effect on development of a conscience to control behaviour

Question 23

Roberts and del Vecchio (2000)

Answer 23

Behaviour is consistent over time

Question 24

How did Eysenck view offending?

Answer 24

As natural - humans sought pleasure and avoided pain

• not everyone offended as due to their conscience, which was viewed as a conditioned fear response
• conscience built up in childhood as caregivers would disapprove

Question 25

What does this theory consider?

Answer 25

Those who commit offences have not built up strong consciences, because of poor conditionability

Question 26

Extraversion

Answer 26

- people with high E are cortically under aroused

Question 27

Who conditions more

Answer 27

Extraverts condition less effectively than introverts

Question 28

Neuroticism

Answer 28

- unstable ANS so strong reactions to unpleasant environmental stimuli

Question 29

Conditioning?

Answer 29

High N individuals condition less effectively then those with low N

Question 30

Psychoticism

Answer 30

``` Preference for solitude Sensation seeking Callousness Aggression Lack of empathy ```

Question 31

Likely offenders?

Answer 31

- high E/N - will be less likely to control anti social behaviour - predicted they are over representated In offender populations

Question 32

Strengths?

Answer 32

- attempts to integrate biological, psychological and environmental factors

Question 33

Criticisms?

Answer 33

Theory is unlikely to apply to all offenders, lacks explanatory power - lack of empirical evidence for conditonability and socialisation

Question 34

Learning theories

Answer 34

Criminal behaviour is learnt

Question 35

SLT

Answer 35

- learned behaviour or failure of socialisation process

Question 36

Differential association theory

Answer 36

- emphasis on the type of peer group/environment in which crime frequently occurs - learning is through association of others - main part of learning takes place within close personal groups - people learn: crime techniques, motives, attitudes

Question 37

Strength?

Answer 37

Has provided foundation for successive theories

Question 38

Weakness?

Answer 38

- only accounts for the acquisition of criminal tendencies and not their maintenance or performance

Question 39

Bandura - modelling

Answer 39

Learning can occur through observing others

Question 40

Models for behaviour?

Answer 40

Friends Family Subculture

Question 41

Patterson (1982)/ Patterson et al. (1992)

Answer 41

- focused on ideas of coercion, based on systematic observations of interactions between parents and children

Question 42

Parents of anti social children?

Answer 42

- failed to set expectations of behaviour - failed to monitor their behaviour to ensure it was desirable - failed to enforce rules promptly and consistently - used more punishment

Question 43

Coercive families

Answer 43

- if a parent behaves coercive towards a child and the child reacts by yelling and the parent stops being coercive then the child learns that to use hostile reactions to terminate hostile situations - coercive families create coercive children

Question 44

Attachment theory

Answer 44

Infants develop a set of expectations about future interactions, based on prior experiences of interactions with a particular figure

Question 45

AT and offending?

Answer 45

Disruption of attachment bonds between mother and child is significant in later deviance - they have problems forming relationships with partners, children and peers - likely to be susceptible to influences outside the family

Question 46

Absense of sharing and communication?

Answer 46

Parents fail to transmit normative values and problem solving skills to their own children

Question 47

A defence against painful feelings of dependency and powerlessness...

Answer 47

Is hostility and a lack of anxiety

Question 48

Cognitive revolution - Ross and Fabiano (1985)

Answer 48

Ds

Question 49

Life course persistence

Answer 49

Bb

Question 50

Moral reasoning theory

Answer 50

How an individual justifies their behaviour in respect of moral issues - offenders are believed to possess specific types of values which are supportive of criminal conduct - offending is associated with a delay in the development of moral reasoning

Question 51

Kohlbergs theory (1981)

Answer 51

- offenders typically show immature reasoning reflective of stages 1 and 2