Theoretical Perspectives in Delinquency

An Overview:

I. Focus on the Individual

II. Social Structure and Delinquency

III. Process in Learning and Control

IV. Social Reaction

I. Focus on the Individual

1. Choice

A) Rational Choice

B) Routine Activities

2. Biological Trait Theories

A) Biochemical

B) Neurological

C) Genetic

3. Psychological Trait Theories

A) Psychodynamic

B) Behavioral

C) Cognitive

D) Personality

E) Nurture

I.1.A. Choice Theory

Cesare Beccaria, (1738-1794) one of the Enlightenment thinkers.

Background information : Enlightenment

What is Enlightenment?

a) a sudden idea

b) the Christian equivalent of Nirvana

c) the illumination of the White House's Christmas tree

d) the ignition of a class II atomic bomb

e) an intellectual movement that broke with Christian predomination and stressed the importance of critical and rational thought.

Individuals have free will and are utilitarian.

What was the previous idea?

Beccaria's requested

• The criminal law should be clear, so that all could know and understand it.
• Torture to obtain confessions should be abolished.
• Judges should be impartial, and the sovereign who makes the law should not determine guilt or innocence.
• The accused should be allotted the time and resources necessary for his defense.
• The death penalty should be abolished.
• Secret accusations and royal warrants for the imprisonment of people without trial should be done away with.
• Punishment should be quick, certain, and commensurate with the crime.
• The true measure of crime should be the harm done to the rights and liberties of individuals in society, rather than vague standards of moral virtue."

To what extend did we achieve the standards for reformation of the Eighteenth century?

Question: How is the prevalence of gangs explained with rational choice theory?

Rational Choice Model of Crime

Incentive of crime = V * p_v - C * p_c

V value of the reward

p_v likelihood of getting reward

C Cost of punishment

p_c likelihood of being caught

DETERRENCE

Question: What do you consider as being an effective deterrence?

CRITICAL EVALUATION

Question: Might it be the case that rational choice works for adults better than for than juveniles?

What are the problems of Rational Choice Theory?

• Profit Maximizing: Tough task, aren't we rather optimizing
• We assume that people know exactly what they want: Value is defined by subculture.
• Transparence of the Market: subculture specific selection of choices.
  
  

Problems with the application in delinquency?

• The evidence that the threat of punishment works is not conclusive.
• To control criminals we have to use harsh punishment. 
• How to explain vandalism?
• How do we explain burglars who defecate in houses they rob?
• How do we explain theft of useless things?
  

The problem of Value was addressed by Jack Katz "Seductions of Crime"

• Pleasure as value
• Pleasure maximizing
• Thrill
• Demonstration of personal competence

I.1. B) Routine Activities Approach

We have enough people motivated to commit a crime.

If they find the right place to meet a suitable victim,

crime will be committed.

Pro: Finally a theoretical approach that takes the victim into account.

Three Components that influence criminal behavior:

1. Suitable Targets

• unguarded homes
• unlocked cars
• unmarked items

2. Capable Guardians

• parents
• police
• security guards
• neighbors

3. Motivated Offenders

• teenage males
• unsupervised youth
• drug abusers

DETERRENCE

Question: Again, after we went though this material. What would be an approach for crime deterrence

CRITICAL EVALUATION

Suitable target: ""the more wealth a home contains, the more likely it will be a crime target"(p.94). Reference to Cohen, Felson & Land 1980.

Great insights of the routine activity approach in your textbook:

"People who tend to stay at home were the ones most likely to be killed by family and friends, while those who went out more often were victimized by strangers"(p.94). Reference to Messner & Tardiff 1985.

Con: Does not work for vice: victimless crime

Both choice theories, rational choice and routine activities,

assume a general motivation to commit crime if the incentive structure is right.

However they cannot explain why some people choose crime and why others follow the law.

This question is addressed by Trait Theories

I.2. Biological Trait Theories

Biological Trait Theories

·     Nineteenth Century (Lombroso 1836-1909)

·     Main influence: Darwin,  Evolutionary interpretations

·     The criminal is a throwback to a more primitive human being

·     Phrenology: detect personality in studying the shape of the skull, facial asymmetry, and ears.

·      Positive school of criminology (empirical measures of skulls, ears...)

I.2.A Biochemical

Aggression and Depression => delinquent behavior

Influenced by diet

Mood swings, anxiety, restlessness

Influenced by hormones

DETERRENT

diet change or medication

I.2.B Neurological

Minimal Brain Dysfunction (MBD)

Learning Disability (LD) => frustration in school => negative self image

DETERRENT

medication

Critical Evaluation of neurological and biochemical approach

• self reported criminal behavior is quite similar to the average
• being "clumsy, dumb, poor language skills etc." Makes it more likely to be labeled and declared as the convict. => later labeling theory
  

I.2.C Genetic

Search for the "criminal" gene.

Research with identical monozygotic twins and fraternal dizygotic twins showed that:

identical monozygotic twins are more similar in their delinquent/nondelinquent behavior

Critique: identical twins also look more similar and for that reason are treated more similar by their environment.

DETERRENT

Question: according to the genetic approach, what would be an adequate deterrent of crime?

CRITICAL EVALUATION

Some of the biological trait theoretical approaches are favored by ultra conservatives. Their explanation of high crime rates resembles the following:

• since we are tough on crime
• people are disadvantaged because they commit crimes
• poor people procreate more
• partly because of government incentives
  

DETERRENCE

How does this approach see medication, chemical castration, sterilization, legally induced abortion?

I.3. Psychological Trait Theories

I.3.A Psychodynamic or Psychoanalytic Theory: Freud

id =              unconscious

ego =           partly unconscious and partly conscious

superego = conscience

id The pleasurable. The true unconscious. Primitive instinctual filled with the boiling libidious energy, demanding for immediate satisfaction. Completely unconscious reservoir of primitive energy (broiling libido in the pot). Pleasure principle; the ultimate hedoist restrained by the ego. Follows two primal needs: sex and aggression.

ego In touch with reality. Mediates between conscious and unconscious, id and superego. One part is connected to the unconscious id, the other part is connected to our consciousness. The Ego is "that part of id which had been modified by the direct influence of the external world" (Freud 1923; rpt. 1961, p.25) through conscious experience. The ego represents a cluster of cognitive and perceptual processes (memory, problem-solving, reality-testing, inference-making. Maintains psychic balance.

superego Our Conscience. Abstract representation of cultural values. Ethical and moral conduct are responsible for self-imposed standards of behavior. The ideal, oppressive, morality, conscience. Societal and parental inhibitions and prohibitions (morality) are responsible for self-imposed standards of behavior (the valve of the pot).

DETERRENT

We get rid of the steam by Displacement /Catharsis. Behavioral theories will see that as a problem. Letting the steam out, we rehearse antisocial behavior, and we receive awards for that.

Displacement:

When anger becomes free-floating, that is, detached from its source, it can be discharged through aggressive behavior against another person, group or object.

Catharsis:

Lessening aggressive energy by discharging it through aggressive behavior.  This is the hydraulic model of psychology.

I.3.B Behaviorist Theories

Assumption: We can control people through applying rewards and punishment.

1. Skinner: Operant Conditioning

Learning = association between a behavior and the environmental change this behavior produces affects the probability of that behavior.

2. Social Learning Theory

The principle is the same as in operant conditioning; however, the reward is contingent on the social environment.

3. Bandura: Social Learning Theory

• We can learn by observation only.
• Behavior does not have to be rewarded to be learned.
• Distinction between learning behavior and showing behavior.
  

1. Skinner: Operant Conditioning

Learning = association between a behavior and the environmental change this behavior produces affects the probability of that behavior.

DETERRENT

Do not allow criminal behavior to be rewarded by any kind of environment. Is this feasible?

2. Social Learning Theory

Introduces the social part in the learning experience.

Social contingency. Someone gives rewards. If the environmental change involves another person.

Example: if the teenage daughter does something pleasant for her dad, he rewards her with money.

3. Bandura: Model Learning

• We can learn behavior without receiving reinforcement.
• It is sufficient to see someone else emitting this behavior.
• However, we will only show the observed behavior if it was rewarded.

  distinction between learning and performance

  Information has to be stored. Concepts have to be transferred.

  modeling as a way of learning

  one shot learning is possible

  Model learning is one possibility to foresee the results of behavior.

DETERRENT

• Not showing criminal behavior, prevents learning.
• Not showing criminal behavior to be rewarded, prevents criminal behavior.

Movie: Violence on T.V.

Children ages 2-5 watch 28 hours,

ages 6-11 24 hors, and teens 23 hours a week

copycat behavior.

CRITICAL EVALUATION

Little evidence that high levels of violent T.V. watching results in high levels of violence.

I.3.C Cognitive Psychological Trait Theories

Piaget: The development of peoples' reasoning processes

Moral development of the individual

Right is obedience to power and avoidance of punishment

Right is an assumed obligation to principles applying to all humankind - principles of justice, equality and respect for human personality.

I.3.D Personality

Personality: Stable patterns of behavior.

This includes thoughts and emotions.

Extraverts are impulsive => neuroticism

remember Freud: What did lead to neurosis?

Personalities of Criminals are

Antisocial = Psychopathic = Sociopathic

Primary sociopaths: inherited

Secondary sociopaths: environmental factors

Pd scores: Psychopathic deviation

Karl Schuessler challenged this idea

Methodological flaws: e.g. circularity

Whatever was attributed to criminals was used as the explanation of why they were criminals

I.3.E Nurture Theory of Intelligence

Environmental stimulation from parents, peers, school etc. is insufficient and results in low IQ levels.

Link between criminality and low intelligence is identical as in the biological trait theory.

DETERRENCE

What is the difference between the biological theory and the trait theory?

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