Theories of Offender Treatment: Understanding Criminal Behavior

1. Chapter 2 Theories of Offender Treatment

2. Introduction • Why do people rob? Why do people murder others? Why are there child sexual abusers? Why are there rapists? • For several centuries scientists have attempted to explain crime, its causes, and how it can most effectively be treated • These explanations are known as theories and are explanatory schemes that attempt to link events with presumed causes of those events • Probationers and parolees have been convicted of crimes and therefore have been studied by researchers attempting to uncover motives and intent • This research has led to the formulation of various treatments and interventions designed to rehabilitate offenders

3. Theories of Criminal Behavior • A theory is a set of assumptions that attempts to explain and predict relationships between phenomena • Functions of theories include explanation and prediction • Regarding probationer recidivism, we are interested why certain probationers commit new offenses • Observers disagree about the objectives of probation and parole, although most objectives include rehabilitation, deterrence, and punishment • Understanding causes of crime can help to design treatment

4. Theories of Criminal Behavior • Many theories of criminal behavior fall into three general categories, each of which stresses different causal factors associated with criminal behavior: • Biological theories • Psychological theories • Sociological or Sociocultural theories

5. I. Biological Theories • Biological theories of criminal behaviors include: • Abnormal physical structure • Hereditary criminal behaviors • Biochemical disturbances

6. I. Biological Theories • Abnormal physical structure…Continued • Pioneer was an Italian physician, Cesare Lombroso (1835–1909) • He coined the expression “borncriminals” • Lomboroso’s beliefs were developed during the period when Darwin’s theory of evolution was seen as credible in science

7. I. Biological Theories • Abnormal physical structure…Continued • According to Lombroso: • criminals are by birth a distinct type • they have attributes like asymmetricalcraniums, longjaws, and flatnoses, scantybeards, lowsensitivitytopain • these characteristics do not cause crime but can be used to Identify persons disposedtowardcrime

8. I. Biological Theories • Abnormal physical structure (continued) • Lombroso observed that Italian prison inmates had longslopingforeheads, pointedears, narroweyes, and overlylongarms • A positive outgrowth of Lombroso’s work was body types classified by Sheldonin1949 into three types • Endomorphs (fat, soft, plump, jolly) • Ectomorphs (thin, sensitive, delicate) • Mesomorphs (strong, muscular, aggressive, tough) • Lombroso Developed crude indices from which generalization of criminal behavior by body type could be made

9. I. Biological Theories • Hereditary criminal behaviors • Suggests the inheritance of certain physical and behavioral characteristics from parents or ancestors • Although there is little scientific evidence, theories such as XYYsyndrome have been proffered • Regarding sex chromosomes, males are XY and females are XX • These chromosomes are inherited from the mother and father, the father gives the Y, the mother the X • Sometimes infants are born with an extra Y chromosome leading them to be prone toward aggressive behavior

10. I. Biological Theories • Biochemical disturbances • Focuses on biochemical disturbances and glandular malfunctions as inducingcriminalacts • Response has been to produce synthetic chemicals and administer them to the patients in hopes of controlling the abnormal behaviour caused by the disturbances • Many probationers and parolees who are sexoffenders have to ingest various drugstocontainthesexualurges that they have

11. II. Psychological Theories • Involves studying individual behaviors to explain the inner workings of the mind • Psychological counselors and psychiatrists play key roles in rehabilitative therapy • The psychological theories include: • Psychoanalytic Theory, • Cognitive Development Theory, and • Social Learning Theory

12. II. Psychological Theories • Psychoanalytic Theory • Created by Austrian neurologist SigmundFreud (1856–1939) • Explained the human personality and mental disorders through the interaction of the id, the ego, the superego, and the libido • More than a few POs have bought into the idea that their clients have underdevelopedegos and psychologicalproblems that need therapy and counseling

13. II. Psychological Theories • Cognitive Development Theory • Jean Piaget was one of the first to stress the importance of cognitive stages of development • Piaget’s notions have been expanded and modified by Kohlberg who has described 6 stages of development divided into 3 categories: • The preconventional level • The conventional level • The postconventional level • This theory proposes that criminal behavior is associated with inadequate development during childhood (Preconventional)

14. II. Psychological Theories • Social Learning Theory • Criminal behavior is learned by modeling the behaviors of others who are criminal • Doesn’t propose that criminal behavior is copied or imitated…Rather that those who learn behavior from others do so because of strong incentives • Deviant behavior is reinforced when persons observe criminals being rewarded with goods, money, or social status

15. III. Sociological or Sociocultural Theories • Focuses on social processes involved in criminal behavior as well as social structure • Social Process Theories Stress external forces as causes of criminal conduct • Popular sociological theories include: • Differential Association • Anomie Theory • Subcultural Theory • Labeling Theory • Social Control Theory • Conflict/Marxist Theory

16. III. Sociological or Sociocultural Theories • Differential Association • Formulated by Edwin Sutherland (1893–1950) • In a nutshell, association with criminals increases the chances that you will become criminal • Outlined a social interaction process that would induce someone to become criminal • An outgrowth of Cultural Transmission Theory (Shaw and McKay)…criminal culture transmitted through socialization • 4 dimensions include: • Frequency • Duration • Priority • Intensity

17. III. Sociological or Sociocultural Theories • Anomie Theory • Anomie literally means normlessness, or a condition when the norms or behavioral expectations are unknown • Robert K. Merton is credited with developing anomie theory • People in society are taught to pursue culturally approved goals and socially approved means to achieve these goals • Merton constructed five modes of adaptation in dealing with these goals and means: • Conformity • Innovation • Ritualism • Rebellion • Retreatism

18. III. Sociological or Sociocultural Theories • Subculture Theory of Delinquency • During the 1950s Albert Cohen focused on and described delinquent subcultures • Cohen said subcultures existed within society but they contain value systems apart from the mainstream culture • If we want to understand why persons behave the way they do, we must pay attention to their subculture

19. III. Sociological or Sociocultural Theories • Labeling Theory • Edwin Lemert, Howard Becker, and John Kitsuse • Pertains to the social definitions of criminal acts rather than the criminal acts themselves • Labeling theory attempts to answer two questions: • What is the process whereby persons become labeled criminal or deviant • How does such labeling influence the person labelled as deviant

20. III. Sociological or Sociocultural Theories • Social Control Theory • Also called bonding theory and focuses on the aspects of becoming attached to society • The stronger the bonds between a person and society the likelihood to engage in crime becomes weaker • Hirschi’s social control theory • Bonding consists of several dimensions: • Attachment • Commitment • Belief • Involvement

21. III. Sociological or Sociocultural Theories • Conflict/Marxist Theory • Also called Marxist criminology, conflict criminology, critical criminology or radical criminology • Focuses attention on the people who have the political power to define crime • Society is divided into the haves and have nots, the poor who are manipulated and controlled by the haves, and the rich and powerful people who have vested interests in capital, industry, and business • Conflict theory is a general scheme to account for societal characteristics

22. Reality Therapy • Reality Therapy • Reality therapy was created by William Glasser • Glasser rejected the idea that once a cause is known for a criminal behavior, the problem can be dealt with by having the probationer/parolee understand the problem’s origins • Reality therapy is a confrontational method of behavior modification where one’s criminality is simply unacceptable to a PO • People have two basic needs: a need for love, and a need for acceptance, self-worth or recognition • POs who practice this must acquire the trust of their clients, for their clients to feel free to disclose info

23. Social Casework • Social Casework • Social casework is an intervention technique that is service oriented • It involves the development of a relationship between the PO and his/her clients within a problem solving context • Social casework rests on three basic premises: • Assessment or gathering and analyzing relevant information on which to base a plan for a client • Planning, or thinking about and organizing facts into a meaningful, goal oriented explanation • Interventionor implementation of the plan

24. Which Theory is Best? • There is no single theory to explain crime or criminal conduct that is universally accepted by researchers as the best one • Each theory has strengths and weaknesses and has exerted varying degrees of influence on the criminal justice system in processing offenders • Two important criteria for evaluating theories of criminal behavior are the extent to which they enable us to explain and predict that behavior • Evaluation of these theories suggests that creating a satisfactory theory stringently meeting these criteria is quite difficult

25. Theories About Delinquency • Assessing the importance of theories of delinquency is difficult • First, almost all causes of delinquent conduct that have been advocated by experts during the past century continue to interest contemporary investigators • The most frequently discounted and consistently criticized views are the biological ones • Psychological explanations seem more plausible than biological ones although • The most fruitful explanations for delinquency are those that seek to blend the best parts of the different theories that assess the different dimensions of youth • Physique • Intellectual abilities • Personalities • Social experiences

26. Treatment Programs and Theories • One way to evaluate theories is to examine successes that have resulted from applying the theories to the criminal justice process • Differential association theory seems influential in parole decisions and the conditions prescribed for parolees • Persons paroled are required not to associate with other known criminals as one of several parole conditions • Most studies of recidivism about youth show that minimizing formal involvement with the juvenile justice system are able to reduce participant’s self definitions (labelling) as delinquent