Title : Understanding the Causes of Violent Crime

1. Chapter 10 Violent Crime

2. Introduction • Expressive violence: acts the vent rage, anger, and frustration • Instrumental violence: acts that improve a financial or social position

3. The Causes of Violence • Personal Traits and Makeup • Neurological impairments • Low intelligence • Abnormal personality structures

4. Figure 10.1 Sources of Violence

5. The Causes of Violence • Evolutionary Factors/Human Instinct • Eros: the life instinct • Thanatos: the death instinct • Aggression and violence are inborn instincts • Violence is committed primarily by males

6. The Causes of Violence • Substance Abuse • Psychopharmacological relationship: between drugs and crime • Economic Compulsive Behavior: drug ingestion may cause economic compulsive behavior • Systemic link: occurs when drug dealers turn violent in competition with rival gangs

7. The Causes of Violence • Socialization and Upbringing • Children exposed to violence at home, school, and environment are more likely to use violence themselves • Parents who fail to set adequate limits reinforce a child’s coercive behavior • Physical punishment may lead to anger and defiance

8. The Causes of Violence • Abused Children • Abused children are likely to later engage in delinquent behaviors • Abused children are likely to physically abuse siblings • Abused children are likely to engage in spousal abuse

9. The Causes of Violence • The Brutalization Process • Lonnie Athens links violence to early child abuse • Classified people into: nonviolent, violent, and incipiently violent • Four types of violent attacks: 1) physically defensive, 2) frustrative, 3) malefic, and 4) frustrative-malefic

10. The Causes of Violence • Exposure to Violence • People who are constantly exposed to violence may adopt violent methods themselves • Girls are more likely to be victims of sexual abuse and boys are more likely to participate in fights, stabbings or shootings • Crusted over: refers to children who do not express their feelings (vulnerable to the lure of delinquent gangs)

11. The Causes of Violence • Cultural values/Subculture of Violence • Marvin Wolfgang and Franco Ferracuti formulated the concept of a subculture of violence • Violence is legitimized by norms and customs • Violence is higher in subculture areas within urban areas

12. The Causes of Violence • Peer Group Influences • Gangs are more likely to own guns and weapons • Gang violence may be initiated for: • Display of toughness • Retaliation for actual or perceived grievances • Protection of ownership (graffiti) • Protection of turf

13. The Causes of Violence • Regional Values • Raymond Gastil found a significant relationship between murder rates a residence in the South • Gastil contends the southern culture promotes violence • UCRs support the higher rates of murder in the South

14. The Causes of Violence • National Values • National characteristics are predictive of violence: • social disorganization • economic stress • child abuse rates • violence by government • political corruption • inefficient justice systems.

15. Forcible Rape • Common law definition: “the carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and against her will”

16. Forcible Rape • History of Rape • Men staked claim to women by rape • “Heiress stealing” involved men trying to force wealthy women into marriage • Peasant women and married women could not be victims of rape until the 16th century

17. Forcible Rape • Rape and the Military • Rape has been associated with armies and warfare (spoils of war) • Rape has been used to intentionally impregnate women • Rape is used as “weapon of war”

18. CNN Clip - Sexual Assaults In The Military

19. Forcible Rape • Incidence of Rape • 94,000 rapes/attempted rapes were reported in 2003 (UCRs) • Rape has been in a decade-long decline • Population density influences rape • About 46 percent of rape offenders are under 25 years of age • NCVS estimates rapes in 2003 were about 200,000

20. Forcible Rape • Types of Rape and Rapists • Some rapes are planned and some are spontaneous • Nicolas Groth suggested every rape encounter contains either anger, power, or sadism • Power rapist (55 percent) • Anger rapist (40 percent) • Sadistic rapist (5 percent)

21. Forcible Rape • Gang versus Individual Rape • Women subjected to rape by multiple offenders are more likely to experience violence such as beatings or the use of weapons • Gang rape victims are more likely to resist than those attacked by single victims • Gang rape victims are more likely to report the rape

22. Forcible Rape • Serial Rape • Serial rapists tend to be White males • Rape may be “blitz” styled or “captured” • Some use personal or professional relationships to gain access to their targets (I.E. police officers)

23. Forcible Rape • Acquaintance Rape • Date Rape: is estimated to affect 15 to 20 percent of all college women • Marital Rape: almost every state recognizes marital rape as a crime • Statutory Rape: sexual relations between underage minor female and an adult male, which an be consensual or forced • About 50 percent of rape involves acquaintances

24. Forcible Rape • The Causes of Rape • Evolutionary, biological factors: rape is instinctual • Male socialization: men socialized to “no means yes” (virility mystique) • Hypermasculinity: expression of male anger toward women • Psychological abnormality: narcissistic personality disorder • Social learning: learned through interaction with peers (Nicholas Groth) • Sexual motivation: Notion that rapists prefer younger victims. (most criminologist reject this view)

25. Forcible Rape • Rape and the Law • Sexist treatment by the legal system • Police may be hesitant when no obvious signs of violence has occurred • Aggravated rapes are prosecuted more frequently

26. Forcible Rape • Proving Rape • Jurors are often swayed by the notion the rape was victim precipitated • Prosecutors must establish the act was forced and violent • The victims demeanor is crucial to successful prosecution • Consent: essential to prove the act was involuntary • Rape Shield Laws: protect women from being questioned about sexual history • Violence Against Women Act in 1994: allows women to sue in federal court (civil rights violations)

27. Murder and Homicide • Definition of Murder: “the unlawful killing of a human being with malice aforethought.” • Degrees of Murder • First-degree murder • Premeditation • Deliberation • Second-degree murder • Wanton disregard • Manslaughter • Voluntary (heat of passion) • Involuntary (negligent) • Born and alive • Feticide

28. Murder and Homicide • The Nature and Extent of Murder • About 16,300 people killed in 2003 • Almost one-quarter of homicides occur in cities with populations of more than 1 million • Murder victims (75 percent) and offenders (90 percent) tend to be male • About 49 percent of all victims are African Americans • Infanticide (about 500 per year) • Eldercide (less than 5 percent per year)

29. Murder and Homicide • Weblink: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/homicide/elders.htm

30. Murder and Homicide • Murderous Relations • Stranger homicides typically occur during commission of a felony • Acquaintance homicides are more common involving family and friends • Spousal Relations • Men may kill spouses or partners for fear of losing control and power • Most females murder after suffering repeated violent attacks • Some people kill mates out of jealousy (love triangles)

31. Murder and Homicide • Personal Relations • Most murder occurs between people who are acquainted • David Lukenbill suggested murder follows a sequential pattern after the victim makes what is considered an offensive move • Stranger Relations • Stranger homicides occur most frequently during rapes, robberies and burglaries • Impact of habitual criminal statutes • Student Relations • 90 percent of schools with 1000 or more students experience violence each year • Many offenders have history of being abused or bullied

32. Figure 10.2 Murder Transactions

33. Murder and Homicide • Serial Murder • There are more than one type of serial killer • Thrill killers: sexual sadism or dominance (most common) • Mission killers: to reform the world • Expedience killers: for profit or protection

34. Murder and Homicide • Serial Murderers and their Motivations • Violence begins in childhood • Mental illness, sexual frustration, neurological damage, child abuse, and neglect • Most experts view serial killers as sociopaths

35. Murder and Homicide • Female Serial Killers • 10-15 % of serial killers are women • Males are more likely to use violence than women • Females are most likely to poison the victims • Education levels are below average and they are likely in low status positions, if employed

36. Assault and Battery • Definition of battery: requires offensive touching (i.e slapping, hitting, or punching) • Definition of assault: requires no actual touching, but involves wither attempted battery or intentionally frightening the victim by word or deed.

37. Assault and Battery • Nature and Extent of Assault • Road rage • 857,000 assaults reported in 2003 • Most arrests are young White males (80 percent) • Assault rates highest in urban areas during the summer in the South and the West • Most common weapons are blunt instruments

38. Assault and Battery • Assault in the home • Women face the greatest risk of assault • Child Abuse • Child Abuse (85 percent of fatalities were younger than six years of age) • Neglect (59 percent) • Physical abuse (19 percent) • Sexual abuse (10 percent) • Emotional abuse (7 percent)

39. Figure 10.3 Child Maltreatment Rates 1990-2002

40. Assault and Battery • Causes of Child Abuse • Family violence is perpetuated • Abusive parents were abused themselves • Blended families • Parents isolated from friends, neighbors, or relatives

41. Assault and Battery • Sexual Abuse • Women suffer some form of sexual violence (1 in 5) • Recent studies suggest incidence of sexual abuse is in decline: • Effectiveness of prevention • Overlooked cases • Children who have been abused experience life-long symptoms

42. Assault and Battery • Parental Abuse • The younger the child the higher the rate of Child-to-parent violence • Children are more violent to mothers • Boys hit parents more than girls do

43. Assault and Battery • Spousal Abuse • Occurred throughout recorded history • Nature and Extent of Spousal Abuse • Observers suggest 16 percent of families experienced husband-wife assaults • Factors associated with spousal abuse include: alcohol, hostility, excessive brooding, social approval, socioeconomic factors, flashes of anger, military service, having been battered as a child, and unpredictableness

44. Robbery • Definition of robbery: “the taking or attempting to take anything of value from the care, custody or control of a person or persons by force or threat of force or violence and/or by putting the victim in fear.” • In 2003, the FBI recorded 413,000 robberies compared to 554, 000 by the NCVS • Northeastern states have the highest rates • There has been a decade-long drop in rates

45. Robbery • The Armed Robber • Unlikely to be a professional rather opportunistic • Robberies seem to peak during the winter months • Choose vulnerable victims

46. Robbery • Acquaintance Robbery • Victims are often reluctant to report acquaintance robbery • Some robbers are motivated by street justice • Because the robber knows the person, they will have inside information • Acquaintance robbers frequently target people in close proximity because of the convenience

47. Robbery • Rational Robbery • Most robbers are opportunistic • Patterns of robbery suggest it is not a random act • Robbers choose vulnerable victims and times • Women robbers may feign sexual interests to lure a victim

48. Emerging Forms of Interpersonal Violence • Hate Crimes are violent acts directed toward a particular person or members of a group merely because the targets share certain racial, ethnic, religious, or gender characteristics • Thrill-seeking hate crimes (sadistic thrills) • Reactive hate crimes (defensive stand) • Mission hate crimes (duty bound) • Retaliatory hate crimes are committed in response to hate crime whether real or percieved

49. Emerging Forms of Interpersonal Violence • The Nature and Extent of Hate Crime • During 2003, 9,100 offenses were reported • Racial bias accounts for nearly 49 percent • Religious bias accounts for 17 percent • Ethnicity or national origin bias accounts for 14 percent • Bias against physical or mental disability accounts for 0.5 percent

50. Emerging Forms of Interpersonal Violence • Controlling Hate Crimes • Most state have enacted some form of legislation to combat hate crime • 39 states have laws against bias motivated violence • 19 states have mandates regarding the collection of hate crime data • Some suggest bias crimes should be punished more severely due to the likely chance of violence • Legal Controls • Virginia v. Black (2003) upheld by the Supreme Court prohibiting cross burning as intimidation