Lifestyle criminality from a developmental standpoint

A theory which details the development of lifestyle criminality is discussed. The necessary (but not sufficient) early conditions for the development of later criminality involve improper resolution of three early developmental tasks which confront all children (social attachment, stimulus modulation, self-image). A child predisposed to later criminality by weak social bonding, a high need for excitement, and a negative self-image is made even more vulnerable when exposed to such additional influences as low verbal intelligence, a chaotic home environment, or antisocial peers. Despite the importance of these variables, however, it is the lifestyle choices one makes which determine later criminality.     

ADHD and criminality: A primer on the genetic, neurobiological, evolutionary, and treatment literature for criminologists

Objective

This state of the art review of 102 studies is a primer on ADHD and its major comorbidities for criminologists unfamiliar with the genetic, neurobiological, and evolutionary literatures.

Materials and methods

Neurological, genetic, medical, and criminal justice data bases were keyword searched for articles on ADHD and/or articles using ADHD as a major independent variable.

Results

ADHD is a disorder that is closely connected to externalizing behaviors, conduct problems, and criminal behavior across the life course.

Conclusions

To date, ADHD research has been carried out primarily by biomedical researchers and de-emphasized by criminologists whose training is overwhelmingly in the social sciences. The special expertise of criminologists in uncovering environmental correlates of antisocial behavior can benefit biomedical researchers who in turn can assist criminologists in uncovering the individual-level correlates of antisocial behavior.     

Celebrity worship,addiction and criminality

Abstract

Two studies assessed the relationship between celebrity worship and (i) addiction (n=1359) and (ii) criminality (n=2158). Overall Celebrity Attitude Scale (CAS) scores correlated positively with Eysenck Personality Questionnaire – Revised (EPQ-R) Addiction and Criminality sub-scale scores. In further support of the absorption–addiction model of celebrity worship (McCutcheon, Lange, & Houran, 2002, Conceptualization and measurement of celebrity worship. British Journal of Psychology, 93, 67–87.), addiction correlated positively with one component of celebrity worship, and criminality correlated positively with all four components produced by the current work. Different types of celebrity worship were associated with preferences for celebrities from particular domains. For instance, those scoring highly on the “Deleterious Imitation” component favoured music celebrities, as opposed to political figures. It was concluded that pathological celebrity worshippers are seeking a personal identity and are drawn to particular celebrities. Imitating these celebrities can have negative consequences for the worshipper.     

State criminality and the “new” world order

B.A., Bowdoin College 1976; J.D., Harvard University 1980. I acknowledge with gratitude the assistance of Joni Charme, Adam Greenstone, and Bill Graves.     

Mental disorder and criminality in Canada

This article examines the relationship between mental disorder and criminality in Canada from the colonial period to the landmark 1992 Mental Disorder Amendments that followed the passing of Bill C-30. The history of this relationship has been shaped by longstanding formal and informal systems of social regulation, by the contests of federal–provincial jurisdiction, by changing trends in the legal and psychiatric professions, and by amendments to the federal Criminal Code. A study of these longer-term features demonstrates that there has been no linear path of progress in Canada's response to mentally unwell offenders. Those caught in the web of crime and mental disorder have been cast and recast over the past 150 years by the changing dynamics of criminal law, psychiatry, and politics. A long historical perspective suggests how earlier and more contemporary struggles over mental disorder and criminality are connected, how these struggles are bound by historical circumstance, and how a few relatively progressive historical moments emerging from these struggles might be recovered, and theorized to advantage.     

Adult child-parent bonds and life course criminality

Parents and parenting practices are often implicated as predictors of early childhood offending in criminological research, but little is known about the role of parents in adulthood in promoting or inhibiting criminal behavior. As juveniles mature into adult roles, parents also continue to mature and interact with their children in numerous roles throughout the life course. Unlike peers and romantic partners, parents are not easily discarded. Adults who have built a good foundation with their parents, then, possess additional social capital that has the potential to better adult life course outcomes, including criminal behavior. Social bonds formed within romantic relationships and stable employment have been the dominant factors identified within criminological literature in promoting criminal desistance, but in today's society with high rates of divorce and an unstable low-skilled job market, parents of origin may be an important stabilizing force in the lives of adults, particularly those lacking other conventional bonds. Using three waves of data from the Ohio Lifecourse Study, a project that spans some twenty-one years, the findings showed that strong relationships with parents are a significant predictor of criminal desistance for adult children, mainly through the emotional benefits these relationships have for the adult children. Furthermore, the data revealed that the adult child-parent relationship is a stronger predictor of desistance among the subjects with poor romantic relationship bonds. Implications for the life course theory are discussed.     

Exporting and importing criminality: Incarceration of the Foreign Born

Since previous studies have found that crime rates vary by immigrant group there is a need to dis‐aggregate immigrants by country of birth in order to obtain a more accurate representation of the relationship between migrants and crime. This study examines data from six countries (Australia, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, and the U.S.A.) on the country of birth of their inmate populations. The following observations are reasonable conclusions from the data available. First, the percentages of each home country's inmate population that is foreign‐born varies remarkably. Second, in general foreign‐born inmates tend to come from regions outside the region within which the host country was located, though in most cases from regions that were proximate. Third, given the small number of countries reporting, it is intriguing that just a small number of countries and regions can account for such a high proportion of a home country's inmate population if one includes the numbers of a country's citizens who are housed in foreign prisons as part of that original country's inmate population. The paper concludes with a discussion of a number of policy implications that flow from these findings.     

The criminality of women and girls in India

Sharing a legal status equal to that of males, females in India are by no means socially and economically equal, nor do they exhibit official and self‐reported crime rates any where near those of men and boys. As commonly found around the world, a distinct gender‐gap in arrests exists in India with overall male:female ratios of around 20:1. While commonly found in other third world countries, this ratio is about four times greater than occurs between males and females in economically developed countries. Self‐report data narrows this gender‐gap considerably. But, the remarkable thing about the criminality of women and girls in India is that their is so little of it. Due to the lack of basic data, explaining female crime in India remains a task yet to be undertaken. However, there is reason to believe that theoretical concepts of etiology developed in Western criminology may apply to India also. As such, the relatively minuscule offense rates for Indian females may reflect how their suppressed social position, in effect, inhibits their ability to initiate or engage in criminal conduct as such. Suggestions for future research on virtually all dimensions of female crime and justice are made.     

Desert,retribution, and corporate criminality

The role of commensurate deserts in the punishment of corporations and their agents has received little attention to date. Those who have written on desert and corporate crime dismiss it on the grounds that retributive rationales, which incorporate notions of desert, are not applicable to corporate offenses and because desert, with its focus on the moral opprobrium attached to criminal conduct, is not fitting for offenses which are regulatory and thus “morally neutral.” This essay argues that although retribution is a viable justification for corporate punishments, it need not be the only or even the primary justification for punishment for desert to be applicable in the distribution of corporate sanctions. It also questions the position of moral neutrality, citing empirical evidence of the public's perceptions of the seriousness of corporate criminal activity.     

Is crime a man's world? Issues in the exploration of criminality

Although the role of the woman offender in the scientific study of criminality has traditionally been largely unexplored, recent studies indicate both an increase in reported female crime and an upsurge in interest on the subject. The general state of the literature is examined and suggestions for the improvement of research in the area are offered.     

Somatic morbidity and criminality: the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort Study

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between adverse physical disorders and violent/non-violent criminal behaviour. DESIGN: The study material consisted of the large, prospectively followed, unselected and genetically homogeneous Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort, the Finnish Hospital Discharge Registers and the National Crime Register (n=10934). MAIN RESULTS: The results of the logistic regression analyses showed that male offenders had statistically significantly more injuries (adj. OR=1.81, 95% CI=1.51-2.17), when compared with males without a criminal history. Violent male offenders exhibited greater morbidity to the diseases of the respiratory system (adj. OR=1.64, 95% CI=1.03-2.60) when compared with non-violent criminals. Female offenders suffered more commonly from poisonings (adj. OR=3.84, 95% CI=1.69-8.72), injuries (adj. OR=2.79, 95% CI=1.67-4.66), infections (adj. OR=1.87, 95% CI=1.16-2.99) and indefinite symptoms (adj. OR=2.02, 95% CI=1.20-3.40) than non-offending females. CONCLUSIONS: At epidemiological level, criminal behaviour seems to be associated especially with an increased risk of injuries for both sexes. The observed increase of the diseases of the respiratory system among violent but not among non-violent males calls for further investigations.     

Is there a role for the application of customary law in addressing aboriginal criminality in Australia

In the past decade, there has been no shortage of empirical evidence that supports the poor health, education, and employment prospects for Aboriginal Australians. Moreover, Aboriginal people are far more likely than non-Aboriginal people to be drawn to the attention of police and taken into custody. Their presence in the criminal courts is disproportionately high and they are vastly over-represented in prison. Commission after commission and study after study have concluded that Indigenous Australians are at vastly greater risk of threat to life, victimization, and health than non-Indigenous Australians. This essay argues that there are grounds for greater recognition of Aboriginal customary law as a means of addressing the malaise. It reviews the political and legal climate in which such responses to Aboriginal criminality are currently being addressed. Presented at the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Conference, Louisville, Kentucky, 13 March 1997. The author acknowledges the help of Paul Martin, legal practice librarian, University of South Australia and the resources of Graceland College.