Juvenile delinquency exam #2

According to Biological theories, what is the cause of delinquency?

The cause of crime/delinquency is a glitch in the “hardware” of the person…her physical makeup or the material they are from.

What did early biological theories say about the relationship between biology and

delinquency?

Early Biological trait theories were deterministic. Offenders had no choice; it was part of their

biological makeup.

What do more modern biological theories say about the relationship between biology

and delinquency?

More modern biological trait theories are biosocial theories. Nature via nurture. Biological and social environments interact. These theories are less deterministic.

What are the two main foci of biosocial theories?

Biochemical factors and Neurological Dysfunction

What are examples of biochemical factors

-Diet/Nutrition

-Hormone levels

What are examples of Neurological Dysfunction

-Minimal Brain Dysfunction

-teenage brain development

-Amygdala functioning

-ADHD

On what three areas do psychological theories focus?

Inadequate or arrested development, Flawed personality, Aberrant personality trait(s)

What is the Id

Operates on the Pleasure Principle.

completely unconscious, and driven by basic biological instincts, urges, and desires (such as hunger, thirst, aggression, and pleasure).

What is the ego

Operates on the Reality Principle.

bridge the gap between the Id's unconscious desires and the real world.

What is the Super ego

Operates on the Moral Principle. Internalizes moral standards, values, and societal expectations taught by parents and culture. Strives for perfection and ideal behavior

Who first discussed the id ego and superego

Sigmund Freud

How do we test for personality characteristics and aberrant personality types

MMPI (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality

Inventory)

CPI (California Psychological Inventory)

FFM (Five Factor Model)

What is the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)?

It contains several scales, including depression, hysteria, paranoia, psychopathology, introversion/extraversion, and compulsiveness. The F scale is the component that most closely correlates with juvenile delinquency

What is the California Psychological Inventory (CPI)

Measures personality traits across three primary scales: dominance, tolerance, and sociability

What is the Five Factor Model (FFM)

Uses statistical factor analysis to score individuals across five core dimensions:

Openness (engaging in new experiences),

Conscientiousness (impulse control),

Extraversion (sociability/energy),

Agreeableness (getting along with others),

Neuroticism (irrationality/negative emotions)

How would you describe someone with anti-social personality disorder?

represents a fundamental difference in a person's overall personality type where the entire personality—rather than just one or a few isolated aberrant traits—results in crime

What are the characteristics of someone with antisocial personality disorder?

• Tendency to violate rights and boundaries

• Persistent lying or stealing

• Recurring trouble with the law and authority

• Lack of remorse

• Superficial charm

• Sense of extreme entitlement

• Inability to make or keep friends

• Impulsiveness and recklessness

• Childhood conduct disorder diagnosis

How would you describe someone with attachment disorder?

is considered an overall aberrant personality type where the whole personality—rather than just one or two isolated traits—leads to deviance or crime

What are the characteristics of someone with attachment disorder?

• Superficially engaging and charming.

• Indiscriminately affectionate with strangers.

• Not affectionate on parents' terms (not "cuddly").

• Lack of eye contact on parents' terms.

• Inappropriately demanding and clingy.

• Triangulation of adults.

• False allegations of abuse.

• Presumptive entitlement issues.

• Poor peer relationships.

• Parents appear hostile and angry

• Destructive to self, others, and material things (often appearing "accident prone").

• Cruelty to animals.

• Stealing.

• Lying about the obvious ("crazy" lying).

• Preoccupation with fire.

• Preoccupation with blood and gore

• Lack of conscience.

• Lack of cause-and-effect thinking.

• No impulse controls (frequently acts hyperactive).

• Learning lags

• Abnormal eating patterns.

• Abnormal speech patterns.

• Persistent nonsense questions and chatter

What do social learning theories say cause delinquency?

Social Learning Theories hold that crime is learned.

Know the nine principles of differential association theory

• Crime is learned

• Crime is learned in communicative interaction with others

• Crime is learned in intimate social groups

• We learn techniques, motives, drives, rationales

  and attitudes of crime

• We learn motives and drives from definitions of

  law as favorable or unfavorable

• Crime is likely to occur when we have more

  definitions favorable to violating the law than

  definitions unfavorable to violating the law

• Our interaction with others vary in four

  characteristics

• The same processes and mechanisms by which

  we learn other behaviors are also active in

  learning of crime

• Crime is an expression of needs and values, but it

  is not explained by them

How do our associations (interactions with others) vary according to Differential Association Theory?

• Frequency—How often we interact with them

• Duration—How long we’ve interacted with them

• Priority—Who we interacted with early in our lives

• Intensity—the importance we attach to specific

  others

Where do we learn best

communicative interaction with others inside intimate social groups

How does learning criminal behavior compare to learning prosocial (non-criminal) behavior?

They rely on the exact same processes and mechanisms:

• Identical learning mechanisms: Criminal behavior is acquired through the same communicative interactions, conditioning (rewards and punishments), and social imitation as any conventional behavior.

• Shared needs and values: Both criminal and law-abiding behaviors express the same general human needs and values—the difference is the balance of definitions and associations learned

What did Ronald Akers say about differential association theory (Reinforcement theory)

Akers holds that behavior, criminal and non-criminal, is the

result of rewards and punishment.

We are conditioned—either reinforced or punished—to

respond in a certain manner to environmental and internal

cues.

What are reinforcements

Increases the likelihood that a behavior will be

repeated

What are punishments

Decreases the likelihood that a behavior will be

repeated

What is positive reinforcement

Reward a behavior when it is

performed

What is a negative reinforcement

withhold a desired reward until a

behavior is performed

What is positive punishment

negative consequence follows the performance of an undesirable behavior.

What is negative punishment

positive consequence is withheld until

a behavior stops

What is vicarious conditioning

We see what happens with others’

behavior and learn from it. (aka imitation)

According to sociological theories, what is the cause of delinquency

external to the individual—it is a matter of nurture rather than nature

Delinquency is rooted in social structure, the economy, and culture

If these sociological theories are correct, why might that make the job of the criminal justice system

more difficult?

Because delinquency stems from external social structures, not individual flaws

What social factors are related to delinquency

Interpersonal interactions

– Inappropriate or interrupted relations

• Community conditions

– Social decay and deterioration

• Exposure to violence

– Desensitization and brutalization

• Social change

– Political, economic and family-based

• Low socioeconomic status

– Absolute vs. relative vs. concentrated vs. generational poverty

• Racial disparity

– Minorities among those in specific social conditions

What are the 3 sets of sociological theories

Social Structure Theories

Strain Theories

Cultural Deviance Theories

What is the cause of social structure theories

Central causes of delinquency

 social and economic forces operating on inhabitants of deteriorated

segments of society

What is the cause of delinquency in Strain theories

Central cause of delinquency

 Conflict between goals and means in society

What is the cause of cultural deviance theories

Central cause of delinquency

 Development of a subculture in opposition to conventional values

What does it mean to say that America is a stratified society?

It means society is divided into different layers (or classes) of people due to the unequal distribution of social capital

What are the characteristics of the “culture of poverty”?

• Conditions of living in poverty (Social Structure):

  • Substandard living conditions

  • Disrupted family lives

  • Unemployment and unstable employment

  • Health and mental health problems

  • Dimensions of poverty: absolute, relative, concentrated, and generational

• Conduct norms defining lower-class culture (Miller’s Focal Concerns):

  • Trouble (handling conflict and law-violating situations)

  • Toughness (physical strength and resilience)

  • Smartness (street savvy and outwitting others)

  • Excitement (thrill-seeking and risk)

  • Fate (believing lives are governed by luck or fortune)

  • Autonomy (resentment of external control or authority

What was the cause of delinquent crime according to Shaw and McKay’s theory?

Delinquency is caused by social and economic forces operating in deteriorated, unstable neighborhood environments rather than by individual traits

What geometric shape or form were delinquency rates in a city?

concentric circles aka bullseye

How stable or unstable were these delinquency rates?

Delinquency rates were stable across the concentric circles

What area of the city had the highest delinquency rate?

the highest delinquency rates were found in the Zone of Transition.

This area was located in the inner-city zones

What were Miller’s focal concerns?

In Cultural Deviance Theory, focal concerns are conduct norms that help define lower-class culture:

• Trouble

• Toughness

• Smartness

• Excitement

• Fate

• Autonomy

How do Walter Miller’s focal concerns relate to delinquency?

• Lower-class conduct norms: Focal concerns (trouble, toughness, smartness, excitement, fate, and autonomy) are the values and conduct norms that define lower-class culture.

• Direct conflict with the law: Because adhering to these concerns encourages behaviors like seeking thrills (excitement), demonstrating physical dominance (toughness), and resisting authority (autonomy), following these lower-class norms naturally puts youth into direct conflict with middle-class standards and criminal laws

What condition did Merton argue is created as a bi-product of society?

A condition of strain caused by the conflict between goals and means:

• Goals vs. Means: Society provides individuals with culturally prescribed goals to aspire to (specifically material goods and monetary goals) alongside approved means to attain them.

• The Core Problem: The problem arises when individuals are unable to achieve those goals using the means provided by society

What is Conformity in Merton’s five modes of adaptation?

The standard path. Accepts both the societal goals and the legitimate methods to achieve them.

What is innovation in Merton’s five modes of adaptation

Accepts the goals but uses unconventional or illegal means. Often occurs when legitimate opportunities are blocked.

What is ritualism in Merton’s five modes of adaptation

Abandons high ambitions but rigidly adheres to rules. Focuses strictly on routine and security without the expectation of major success.

What is Retreatism in Merton’s five modes of adaptation

Drops out of society entirely. Rejects both the goals and the conventional means to reach them

What is rebellion in Merton’s five modes of adaptation

Rejects existing goals and means to substitute new ones. Seeks to transform or overturn the current social structure.

How does Agnew’s concept of strain relate to Merton’s concept of means and goals

Agnew developed General Strain Theory as a direct response to and expansion of Merton’s theory
Agnew’s broader scope: Agnew expanded strain beyond just financial/material blockage to include three distinct sources of strain that individuals turn to crime to escape or relieve

What are the three sources of strain?

1. Inability to achieve one’s aspirations (broadening Merton's goal-means gap).

2. Introduction of noxious (negative) stimuli.

3. Removal of pleasant or desirable stimuli

According to developmental theories, what is the cause of delinquency?

Developmental theories divide into two distinct perspectives on the cause of delinquency:

• Life-Course Theory

• Latent Trait Theory

What do life course theories argue is the cause of delinquency?

Life-Course Theory: Views delinquency as a dynamic, changing process. It is caused by an interplay of individual characteristics and evolving social experiences—such as family relations, peer influences, employment, and disruptions in life’s major transitions or turning points

What do latent trait theories argue is the cause of delinquency?

Latent Trait Theory: Views delinquency as stemming from an underlying, stable "master trait" (primarily low self-control) established early in childhood (by age 8) due to inadequate parenting or early social control. While the trait remains unchanging, delinquent behavior fluctuates as delinquent opportunities change across the life course

In regards to stability and change, what are the differences between the two theories?

Life-Course Theory: people change over time; behavior changes as people change

Latent Trait Theory: delinquent opportunities change over the life course; master trait

What do life course theories find in regards to the age of onset?

Most life-course theories find that the seeds of a delinquent career are planted early in life. Specifically, an early onset of deviance serves as a harbinger of a delinquent career and strongly predicts later, more persistent, and more serious delinquency

What are the two types of juvenile offenders?

Adolescent and Life-Course Persisters

What is an Adolescent offender

• Trajectory: Their antisocial behavior peaks during adolescence and then diminishes over time.

• Characteristics: They can be thought of as "typical teenagers" who get involved in minor scrapes and participate in rebellious teenage behavior alongside friends

What is a life course persistent offender

Life-Course Persisters

• Trajectory: Their criminal careers continue well into adulthood.

• Characteristics: These delinquents begin offending at a very early age and persist in their criminal behavior over their entire life course

What is a master trait?

In latent trait theory, a master trait (or latent trait) is a stable feature, characteristic, property, or condition—such as personality, intelligence, or genetic makeup—that remains unchanging throughout an individual's lifetime

How does master trait relate to delinquency?

A master trait relates to delinquency by serving as the primary underlying cause of an individual's criminal propensity throughout their entire life

What do Gottfredson and Hirschi say is the master trait?

According to Gottfredson and Hirschi in their General Theory of Crime, the master (or latent) trait is low self-control

Prior to what age is self-control established?

age 8

How do high self-control and low self-control relate to each other?

high self-control and low self-control represent opposing ends of a stable, underlying trait established in early childhood

What conditions are needed for self-control to develop?

1. Affection or investment: Someone must show affection for or investment in the child.

2. Monitoring: Someone must monitor the child’s behavior.

3. Recognition of deviance: That person must recognize deviant behavior in the child when it occurs.

4. Correction/punishment: That person must punish the behavior when it is observed

How stable is self-control across the life course?

According to the General Theory of Crime and latent trait perspectives, self-control is highly stable and unchanging across the life course once it is established in early childhood (by age 8)

What is weighed in rational choice theory

pain and pleasures

What theory biological theory

Bio social theories

Who is associated with psychodynamic theories

Freud

What is stigmata

5 or 3 features of a born criminal

What is the master trait

Self control