Criminal behaviours - characteristics of behaviour

• Intro

  • Criminal behaviour is not a mental illness and is absent from the DSM and ICD.

  • It is a social issue with no clinical assessment criteria.

  • Crimes linked to mental illnesses (e.g., schizophrenia) are outcomes, not the illness itself.

  • Definitions of crime vary across cultures and change over time.
• Types of crime - property predatory crime

  • involved in attempting to/taking personal property of others without permission

  • E.g. burglary, robbery, car theft
• Types of crime - property fraudulent crime

  • involved in deceit/manipulation with purpose of converting property/services of others to their own use

  • e.g. Embezzlement, fraud, bribery
• Types of crime - interpersonal violence general

  • involved in actions that threaten/cause actual personal harm

  • e.g. Murder, assault, kidnapping
• Types of crime - interpersonal violence sexual

  • actions that threaten/cause personal harm and contain a sexual element

  • e.g. Rape, sexual abuse, incest
• Types of crime - transactional crime

  • ‘victimless‘ offences where there is a willing exchange of goods/services

  • e.g. Prostitution, illegal gambling, drug sales
• Types of crime - order disruption

  • actions where there is no direct victim, but concern is raised about potential victims

  • e.g. Resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, loitering, rioting
• Types of crime - folk/mundane crime

  • actions can range from minor rule violations to more serious violations

  • tends to foster public ambivalence, and public views acts as an inconvenience rather than a crime

  • e.g. Fishing without a license (minor), load regulations on commercial vehicles (serious)
• Data on crime

  • crime statistics offer insights into crime types, victim experiences, and crime patterns in the UK

  • the Office of National Statistics (ONS) categorises crime into: Victim-based crime, and Crimes against society

  • example data (september 2016, england & wales) Anti-social behaviour: 167,193, violent crime: 106,835, robbery: 4,880, other crime: 312,865

  • data limitations: only reported crimes are included. Walker et Al (2006) found only 42% of all crimes were actually reported to the police
• What reasons might there be for victims not reporting crime to the police?

  • hard to escape/find a safe place to go to

  • distrust with the police

  • wider implications - children, family etc

  • trespassing and folk/mundane crime may not feel worth reporting
• More data on crime

  • victim surveys (e.g. British crime survey) aim to capture all crimes, including unreported ones

  • a random sample of 50,000 households, with individuals aged 16+ asked about experiences as victims or offenders, knowledge of others crimes, attitudes towards crime locally and nationally

  • provides data on the ‘dark figure’ of crime (unreported crimes)

  • Offender surveys collect data from criminals, offering insights into crime from offenders’ perspectives but is limited by sample bias - only caught offenders included
• Issues of defining crime - crime as a social construct

  • definitions vary by culture and time

  • some crimes (e.g. Murder, theft, rape) are universal, but others depend on cultural norms

  • definitions of crime evolve, making research context-specific and potentially outdated

  • cultural differences in crime definitions limit generalisability of the research
• Issues of defining crime - wide range of criminal acts

  • a single theory cannot explain all crimes (e.g. hit-and-run, tax fraud, violent assault)

  • research often focuses on violence/aggression due to their universal classification as crimes

  • more differences than similarities exist between criminals
• Issues of defining crime - context-dependent crime

  • criminality can depend on circumstances (e.g. smashing a window to rescue a dog)

  • most people have broken laws - can all be classified as criminals?
• Issues of defining crimes- criminal behaviour as beneficial

  • breaking unjust laws may be seen as moral (e.g. apartheid, segregation)

  • historical examples:

  • Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther king jr. Opposed racism, were labelled criminals
  • Gandhi opposed British rule via nonviolent disobedience, was arrested but is not seen as a criminal today