CRIMINAL

BEHAVIOUR AND ITS

CAUSES
BY ANNIE MARIAM
WHAT IS CRIMINAL
BEHAVIOUR ?
IT IS BEHAVIOUR THAT IS :
 PROHIBITED BY LAW AND PUNISHED BY THE
STATE
 CONSIDERED TO BE A VIOLATION MORAL OR
RELIGIOUS CODE AND IS BELIEVED TO BE
PUNISHABLE BY A SUPREME SPIRITUAL BEING
SUCH AS GOD
 VIOLATE NORMS OF SOCIETY OR TRADITIONS AND
ARE BELIEVED TO BE PUNISHABLE BY COMMUNITY
 ACTS CAUSING SERIOUS PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS
OR MENTAL DAMAGE TO A VICTIM, BUT IS
SOMEWHAT AFFORDABLE FOR OFFENDER
(REFERRED AS “PSYCHOLOGICAL CRIMINAL
BEHAVIOUR”)
WHAT MAKES A PERSON A
CRIMINAL?
A CRIMINAL ACT OCCURS WHEN
THERE IS A MOTIVE, A MEANS AND
AN OPPURTUNITY. CRIMINAL
BEHAVIORS THAT LEAD
OFFENEDERS TO RECIDIVATE ARE
OFTEN CALLED “RISK FACTORS”
OR “CRIMINOGENIC NEEDS”. ONE
OF THE WAYS WE CAN
UNDERSTAND CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR
IS TO GAIN COMPREHENSION AND
KNOWLEDGE OF CRIMINOGENIC
CRIMINOGENIC NEEDS ARE:
 Characteristics of an individual that directly relate to
their likelihood to re-offend and commit another
crime.
 They are divided into 2 categories: Static and
Dynamic
 Static factors – They are factors which cannot be
changed or addressed by any sort of program or
therapy in the prevention of future crimes. They are
structural elements of a person’s life that led them to
commit crime
 Dynamic factors – They are expressed nonconformist
behaviors, values and attitudes that are correlated
with criminal activity. They can be changed by
therapy, training and subsequently altered to result in
more law abiding behavior
OTHER CONDITIONS WHICH LEAD TO CRIMINAL
BEHAVIOR :

 Anti-social values
 Criminal peers
 Anti-social personality
 Dysfunctional family
 Low self-control
 Substance abuse
PSYCHOTHERAPIES FOR
CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR
 Cognitive behavioral therapy(CBT) has been
found the most affective among juvenile and
adult offenders.
 In CBT programs, offenders improve their
social skills, problem solving, critical
thinking, moral reasoning, management and
self-efficacy.
 CBT also help in restructuring distorted
thinking and perception.
 CBT is particularly effective in reducing the
recurrence of serious crimes.
 It also helps in anger management and
interpersonal skills training.
WHAT IS CRIMINAL
PSYCHOLOGY?
 Criminal psychology is the study of wills,
thoughts, intentions and reactions of
criminals and all that partakes in the
criminal behavior.
 They look for patterns in behavior to typify
the individual behind a crime.
 One of their main goals is to understand if
the one who commits a crime is sane or
insane at the time of the offense.
 They also study the effect of psychological
and social factors on the functioning of our
brain.
FOUR ROLES OF CRIMINAL
PSYCHOLOGISTS:
 Clinical – The psychologist is involved in
assessment of an individual in order to
provide a clinical judgment. They use
psychometric tools, interview or questions.
 Experimental – The psychologist performs
research in order to form a case. This can
involve executing experimental tests for the
purpose of illustrating a point
 Actuarial – This involves the usage of
statistics to form a case.
 Advisory – They may advice police on how to
proceed with investigation.
THANK YOU