Causes and Correlates of Crime

1. Causes and Correlates of Crime Classical theory Hobbes and Free Will Beccaria and deterent (specific and general) Bentham and the hedonistic calculus Positivist theory Francis Bacon Attempts to discover root causes of crime Thus is deterministic---no free will Biological, sociological and (to lesser extent) psychological Positivist approaches have generally failed to determine causes of crime Have noted some �risk factors� however

3. Lombroso C. Lombroso (late 1800s) suggests criminals are less evolved both male and female criminals have �ape-like� physical characteristics not empirically valid, but still influencial Many people think they can still �spot� a criminal. Elevator studies

4. Testosterone Children�s play behavior and testosterone (Auyeung et al., 2009) Does testosterone in males (or females for that matter) cause crime. Makes sense given lower female crime Men in prison have higher testosterone levels hockey players BUT, they also have higher adrenaline and cortisol levels Do adrenaline and cortisol cause crime---no. Is is quite possible (and I argue more likely) that Crime causes increases in testosterone levels, much as it does with adrenaline or cortisol. Physical functions and stress However: Most men are not criminals A good percentage (15%+) of violent criminals are females Depo-Provera for sex-offenders Generally not believed that testosterone causes crime, per se

5. XYY Jacob�s Syndrome: A genetic disorder which pretty much has no symptoms. Was once thought was linked with crime. Richard Speck However, most criminals do not have XYY (not even at a higher % than general population). This theory has been discredited

6. Richard Speck July 14, 1966 8 nurses raped and killed Forces his way in while 5 are home at gunpoint 1 returns from drinking ties them up, takes them 1 by 1 2 nurses return home--these find him raping Pamela Wilkening stabs and strangles them Suzanne Farris stabbed 18 times Mary Ann Jordon stabbed in chest, neck and eye Finishes Wilkening with a stab to the heart Nina Schmael is next Her neck is broken, and stabbed rituatlistically Valentina Pasion Slits her throat through the voicebox

7. Richard Speck continued Merlita Gargullo raped for 30 mins, then stabbed and strangled Pat Matusek takes her to the bathroom + asks �Are you the girl in the yellow dress?� ruptures liver + strangles her Cora Amurao--has been hiding + is a witness Gloria Davey, raped while unconscious With Amurao�s testimony Speck is convicted + sentences to life 1 appeal involves the XYY defense hormone treatment

8. Biology and Women Alternate theories have argued that women are essentially irrational and thus not able to be held responsible for their behavior during: PMS (Dalton) Puberty Menopause Post-Partum All of these theories have been discredited empirically: Ex. Overpeck and Post-Partum Hormones can influence some motivations (ex. Testosterone and sex drive) Do hormones force us to behave in a particular manner? That�s probably going too far, but it is a convenient rationalization also expectancy effects

9. Brain Function and Crime Brain function is a more reasonable hypothetical link with crime than is hormones Robert Hare Brain tumors Charles Whitman 16/30 brain tumor in hypothalamus But most criminals do not have brain tumors Unlikely any general brain chem cause

10. IQ and crime Do the less intelligent commit more crimes What IS intelligence? Influence of Lombroso Bell Curve (Herrnstein & Murray) Criminals have average IQ of 92 However, other studies suggest psychopaths have high IQs Could be that low IQ criminals more likely to get caught

11. Sociology and Crime Sociological theories generally suggest that society is the cause of crime Thus criminals are �normal people in an abnormal world� This contradicts a wealth of empirical evidence Strain Theory goals frustration crime However, American �poor� are not that poor poor in other countries Most crime is within class White collar crime

12. Economics and Crime Economic deprivation linked with crime correlation between crime and US economy general trend across nations However, this does not explain difference between countries ex. England and US Opportunities and crime people with low opportunities at greater risk however �opportunity� programs don�t work Racial Disparity Freakonomics

13. Pornography Does pornography lead to violence Dworkin suggests pornography leads to violence against women most research suggests that depictions of consensual sex does not Violent (rape) pornography--weak temporary effects Effects less consistent than some scholars have claimed e.g. Malamuth & Ceniti, 1986 Unlikely pornography causes violence No surprise that sex criminals enjoy violent pornography Does pornography reduce rape? (Diamond & Uchiyama, 1999) But we seem to favor external attributions for crime Also provides convenient rationalization

14. Porn Part 2 Several recent reviews (Diamond, 2009; Ferguson & Hartley, 2009) have concluded: Experimental evidence for porn/sexual violence is weak, inconsistent and plagued with methodological problems Correlational evidence is likewise contradictory and weak in effect size. Wherever, internationally, porn restrictions have been eased, rape and sexual violence rates declined sharply The �porn causes sexual violence� theory is probably, at this point, a dead theory

15. Ted Bundy Perhaps most famous American serial killer Mom/Grandparents charade 1967 Stephanie Brooks 1973 Kathy Devine/ Joni Lenz --strangled, sodomized, throat cut Jan 1974 Lynda Healy---vanishes, bloody mattress 7 more girls go missing--books/cast trick August �74--pieces of Janis Ott and Denise Nashlund are found Oct 31--Laura Aime disappears�beaten in face w/ crowbar

16. Bundy con�t Moves from Washington to Oregon to Utah Nov �74 Carol DaRonch escapes �security officer� Debbie Kent disappears that same night---find handcuff key Jan �75 Caryn Campbell disappears from CO. Found a month later, nude skull crushed. Upwards of 20 women disappear between 4 states Bundy apprehended for speeding---evidence in car Feb �76 first trial (for kidnapping of Carol DaRonch) Convicted---sentenced to 15 years April 1977, tried for murder, takes over his own defense is allowed unsupervised time in the courthouse.

17. Bundy 3 Escapes from courthouse Is captured, but escapes again 7 months later Chi Omega House at FSU 2 women beaten about the skull� Lisa Levy, beaten with log, bitten, raped with hairspray bottle Margaret Bowman, skull split and brain exposed Kimberly Leach (12 y.o.) last victim, decomposed body found 2 months later Bundy apprehended in stolen VW. 1978 tried for murder of Kim Leach Perhaps as many as 36 victims in total

18. Bundy 4 Convicted on eyewitness testimony and bite marks Sentenced to death Body count attempts Pornography �defence� Marriage Executed 1989 What role does pornography play in violent crime? Non-violent porn Violent porn and slasher films (Fisher & Grenier, 1994)

19. Mental Illness and Crime Do the Mentally Ill commit more crimes? Nuisance crimes violence Insanity Vs. Mental Illnesses Most Mental illnesses do not imply loss of rational thought M�Naughton rule However mental illness accounts for a small % of crime Schizophrenia Delusional Disorder Substance Abuse (not a causal relationship) �Compulsion� to commit violence

20. Substance Abuse & Crime Substance abuse (particularly alcohol, cocaine, heroin, & PCP) linked with crime A good percentage of criminals intoxicated during their crimes: property felons spousal murder Does substance abuse cause crime: Probably not. Acts as a rationalization for many criminals (expectancies)

21. Schizophrenia Significant disturbance in perceptions, mood and rational cognitions hallucinations and delusions contrary to what you might hear schizophrenics do tend to be more violent (Douglas, Guy & Hart, 2009) However, this is often in keeping with paranoid delusions Crimes tend to be �disorganized� spontaneous poorly planned and executed (messy, much evidence) little attempt to �hide� crime Blitz attackes

22. Delusional disorder 1* symptom is �non-bizarre� delusion erotomanic paranoid jealous Erotomanics and stalking Sarah MacLaughlan Rebecca Shaffer John Hinkley Paranoids and terrorism Militia Jealous and domestic murder

23. Bipolar and Depression Bipolar sometimes hypothesized as link with crime, however: correlations are weak perhaps misdiagnosed Borderline Personality Disorder more likely to engage in self-damaging behaviors Depression and crime Criminals are typically not happy campers However depression does not cause crime Stress and depression may help trigger incidents of crime in those who are already predisposed (ex. Antisocials and borderlines) Depression and peer delinquency among top risk factors for youth violence (Ferguson, San Miguel & Hartley, 2009) social support, suicide and homicide Insanity defenses typically not accepted by juries�usually for good reason. Used in less than 1% of cases, only 25% successful when used Females more likely to be acquitted for reasons of mental defect

24. Role of the Forensic Psychologist Evaluation NGI (Culpability) IST Risk Assessment HCR-20 VRAGS Very tough to do Prosenjit Poddar and Tatiana Tarasoff