The Study of Criminals and Criminal Behavior

A criminal may be defined in three ways:

1. A person who committed a crime and has been convicted by a court of
the violation of a criminal law. (legal definition)
2. A person who violated a social norm or one who did an anti-social act.
(social definition)
3. A person who violated rules of conduct due to behavioral
maladjustment. (psychological definition)

Classification of Criminals
1. Based on Etiology
2. Based on Behavioral System
3. Based on Activities
4. Based on Mental Attitudes
5. Based on Legal Classification

Classification Based on Etiology

1. Acute Criminal is one who violates a criminal law because of the impulse or fit of passion. They
commit passionate crimes.
2. Chronic Criminal is one who commits crime acted in consonance of deliberated thinking. He plans
the crime ahead of time. They are the targeted offenders.

Classification Based on Behavioral System

1. Ordinary Criminal is considered the lowest form of criminal in a criminal career. He doesn’t stick to
crime as a profession but rather pushed to commit crimes due to great opportunity.
2. Organized Criminal is one who associates himself with other criminals to earn a high degree of
organization to enable them to commit crimes easily without being detected by authorities.
They commit organized crimes.
3. Professional Criminal is a person who is engaged in criminal activities with high degree of skill. He is
usually one who practices crime as a profession to maintain a living.

Classification Based on Activities

1. Professional Criminals are those who practice crime as a profession for a living. Criminal activity is
constant in order to earn skill and develop ability in their commission.
2. Accidental Criminals are those who commit crimes when the situation is conducive to its
commission.
3. Habitual Criminals are those who continue to commit crime because of deficiency of intelligence
and lack of self – control.
4. Situational Criminals are those who are not usually considered as criminals but constantly in
trouble with legal authorities.

Classification Based on Mental Attitudes

1. Active Criminals are those who commit crimes due to aggressiveness.
2. Passive Inadequate Criminals are those who commit crimes because they are pushed to it by
reward or promise.
3. Socialized Delinquents are criminals who are normal in behavior but defective in their socialization
process or development.

Legal Classification of Criminal

1. Habitual Delinquent is a person who, with in a period of ten years from the date of his release or
last conviction of the crimes of serious or less serious physical injuries, robbery, estafa, or falsification,
is found guilty of any of the said crimes or a third time oftener.
2. Recidivist is one who, at the time of his trial for one crime, shall have been previously convicted by
final judgment of another crime embraced in the same title of the Revised Penal Code.
The Study of Criminal Behavior (Criminal Psychology)

Definition of Criminal Psychology

In general, psychology is the science of behavior and mental processes. This means that psychologists
use the methods of science to investigate all kinds of behavior and mental processes, from the activity
of a single nerve cell to the social conflict in a complex society (Bernstein, et al, 1991). (n.) The branch
of psychology that studies criminal behavior. (Medical Dictionary:)

Criminal psychology is the study of the wills, thoughts, intentions and reactions of criminals. It is
related to the field of criminal anthropology.

Definitions of Criminal Behavior

Legal criminal behavior or actions that are prohibited by the state and punishable under the
law,
Moral criminal behavior which refers to actions that violate the norms of religion and morality and
are believed to be punishable by a supreme spiritual being,

Definitions of Criminal Behavior

Social criminal behavior which refers to actions that violate the norms of custom and tradition and
are punishable by a community and finally
Psychological criminal behavior that refers to actions that may be rewarding to the actor but inflict
pain or loss on others - it is criminal behavior that is anti-social behavior.

Definitions of Criminal Behavior

Normal Behavior (adaptive or adjusted behavior) – the standard behavior, the totality accepted
behavior because they follow the standard norms of society.
Abnormal Behavior (maladaptive / maladjusted behavior) A group of behavior that is deviant from
social expectations because they go against the norms or standard behavior of society.

Overt or Covert Behavior

Behaviors that are outwardly manifested or those that are directly observable are overt behaviors. On
the other hand, covert behaviors are behaviors that are hidden – not visible to the naked eye.

Behavior is conscious when acts are within the level of awareness. It is unconscious when acts are
embedded in one’s subconscious – unaware.

Simple or Complex Behavior

These are acts categorized according to the number of neurons involved in the process of behaving.
Simple behavior involves less number of neurons while complex behavior involved more number of
neurons, a combination of simple behaviors.

Rational or Irrational Behavior

There is rational behavior when a person acted with sanity or reason and there is irrational behavior
when the person acted with no apparent reason or explanation – as when a man loses his sanity and
laugh out loud at nobody or nothing in particular.

Voluntary or Involuntary Behavior

Voluntary behavior is an act done with full volition or will such as when we discriminate, decide or
choose while involuntary behavior refers to the bodily processes that foes on even when we are
awake or asleep like respiration, circulation and digestion.

Heredity (Biological Factors)

The characteristics of a person acquired from birth transferred from one generation to another. It is
the primary basis of the idea concerning criminal behavior, the concept that “criminals are born”
Pathogenic Family Structure
1. The inadequate family – characterized by the inability to cope with the ordinary problems of family
living. It lacks the resources, physical of psychological, for meeting the demands of family satisfaction.
2. The anti-social family – those that espouses unacceptable values as a result of the influence of
parents to their children.
3. The discordant/disturbed family – characterized by non-satisfaction of one or both parent from
the relationship that may express feeling of frustration. This is usually due to value differences as
common sources of conflict and dissatisfaction.
4. The disrupted family – characterized by incompleteness whether as a result of death, divorce,
separation or some other circumstances.

Need, according to a drive reduction theory, is a biological requirement for well being of the
individual. The aroused condition motivates the person to remedy the need.

Drives are states of comfortable tension that spur activity until a goal is reached. Drive and motivation
are covered in the world of psychology, for they energize behavior and give direction to man’s action.

Motivation is the hypothetical concept that stands for the underlying force impelling behavior and
giving its direction. ther hand refers to the influences that govern the initiation, direction, intensity,
and persistence of behavior.

Neurosis or Neurotic or Psychoneurotic behaviors are groups of mild functional personality disorders
in which there is no gross personality disorganization

Anxiety disorders are commonly known as “neurotic fear”. When it is occasional but intense, it is
called “panic”. Phobic Disorders are common to anxiety disorders.

Dissociative Disorders A response to obvious stress characterized by amnesia, multiple personality,

and depersonalization.

Amnesia is the partial or total inability to recall or identify past experiences following a traumatic
incident.
Multiple Personality is also called “dual personalities.” The reason manifests two or more symptoms
of personality usually dramatically Different.
Depersonalization is the loss of sense of self or the so-called out of body experience. There is a
feeling of detachment from one’s mental processes or body or being in a dream state. Cases of
somnambulism (sleep walking) may fall under this disorder.

Mood disorders often referred to as affective disorders however the critical pathology in these
disorders is one of mood which is the internal state of a person, and not of affect, the external
expression of emotional content.

Psychotic Behaviors are group of disorders involving gross structural defects in the brain tissue,
severe disorientation of the mind thus it involves loss of contact with reality.

Organic Mental Disorders

A diagnosis of organic mental disorder is associated with a specific, identified organic cause, such as
abnormalities of the brain structure. These are mental disorder that occurs when the normal brain
has been damage resulted from any interference of the functioning of the brain.

A tumor is a new growth involving abnormal enlargement of body tissue. Brain tumor can cause a
variety of personality alterations, and it may lead to any neurotic behavior and consequently
psychotic behavior.

Senile Dementia is a mental disorder that accompanied by brain degeneration due to old age.
Presenile Dementia is a mental disorder associated with earlier degeneration of the brain.
Mental retardation is a mental disorder characterized by sub- average general functioning existing
concurrency with deficits in adaptive behavior.

Schizophrenia refers to the group of psychotic disorders characterized by gross distortions of realty,
withdrawal of social interaction, disorganization and fragmentation of perception, thoughts and
emotion. It also refers to terms such as “mental deterioration”, “dementia praecox”, or “split mind”.
Paranoia is a psychosis characterized by a systemized delusional system. A delusion is a firm belief
opposed to reality but maintained in spite of strong evidence to the contrary. It is also a psychosis
characterized by delusion of apprehension following a failure or frustration.

Psychoactive substance-use disorders such as alcoholism affect millions of people.

The Sexual deviations are impairment either the desire for sexual gratification or in the ability to
achieve it.
The sexual disorders are common causation of sex crimes.

Common Examples of Sexual Disorders for Males:

1. Erectile Insufficiency (Impotency) – it is a sexual disorder characterized by the inability to achieve
or maintain erection for successful intercourse.
2. Pre-mature Ejaculation – it is the unsatisfactory brief period of sexual stimulation that results to
the failure of the female partner to achieve satisfaction.
3. Retarded Ejaculation – it is the inability to ejaculate during intercourse – resulting to worry
between partners.

Common Examples of Sexual Disorders for Females:

1. Arousal Insufficiency (Frigidity) – a sexual disorder characterized by partial or complete failure to
attain the lubrication or swelling response of sexual excitement by the female partner.
2. Orgasmic Dysfunction – a sexual disorder characterized by the difficulty in achieving orgasm
3. Vaginismus – the involuntary spasm of the muscles at the entrance to the vagina that prevent
penetration of the male sex organ.
4. Dyspareunia – it is called painful coitus/painful sexual acts in women.

Sexual Behaviors leading to sex crimes (as to sexual reversals)

Homosexuality – it is a sexual behavior directed towards the same sex. It is also called
“lesbianism/tribadism” for female relationship.
Transvestism – refers to the achievement of sexual excitation by dressing as a member of the
opposite sex such a man who wears female apparel.
Fetishism – sexual gratification is obtained by looking at some body parts, underwear of the opposite
sex or other objects associated with the opposite sex.
Pedophilia – a sexual perversion where a person has the compulsive
desire to have sexual intercourse with a child of either sex.
Bestiality – the sexual gratification is attained by having sexual intercourse with animals
Auto-sexual (self-gratification/masturbation) – it is also called “self abuse”, sexual satisfaction is
carried out without the cooperation of another.
Gerontophilia – is a sexual desire with an elder person.
Necrophilia – an erotic desire or actual intercourse with a corpse
Incest – a sexual relation between people who, by reason of blood relationship cannot legally marry.
Satyriasis – an excessive (sexual urge) desire of men to have sexual intercourse
Nymphomania – a strong sexual feeling of women with an excessive sexual urge.

Sexual Behaviors leading to sex crimes (asto the mode of sexual expression)
1. Oralism – it is the use of mouth or the tongue as a way of sexual satisfaction.
◦ Fellatio – male sex organ to the mouth of the women coupled with the act of
sucking that initiates orgasm.
◦ Cunnilingus – sexual gratification is attained by licking the external female genitalia.
◦ Anilism (anillingus) – licking the anus of the sexual partner
2. Sado-Masochism (Algolagnia) – pain/cruelty for sexual gratification.
◦ Sadism – achievement of sexual stimulation and gratification through the infliction of physical pain
on the sexual partner. It may also be associated with animals or objects instead of human beings.
◦ Masochism – infliction of pain to oneself to achieve sexual pleasure.

Sexual Behaviors leading to sex crimes (as to the parts of the body)
Sodomy – is a sexual act through the anus of the sexual partner.
Uranism – sexual gratification is attained through fingering, holding the breast of licking parts of the
body.
Frottage – the act of rubbing the sex organ against body parts of another person.
Partialism – it refers to the sexual libido on any part of the body of a sexual partner

Sexual Behaviors leading to sex crimes (as to visual stimulus)

Voyeurism – the person is commonly called “the peeping Tom”, an achievement of sexual pleasures
through clandestine peeping such as peeping to dressing room, couples room, toilets, etc. and
frequently the person masturbate during the peeping activity.
Scoptophilia – the intentional act of watching people undress or during sexual intimacies.

Sexual Behaviors leading to sex crimes (as to the number of participants)

Troilism – three persons participate in sex orgy such as two women versus on man or vice versa.
Pluralism – group of persons in sexual orgies such as couple to couple sexual relations. It is also called
“sexual festival”.

The Study of CrimeVictims (Victimology)

Victimology may be defined as: the scientific study of the extent, nature and causes of
criminal victimization, its consequences for the persons involved and the reactions thereto by society,
in particular the police and the criminal justice system as well as voluntary workers and professional
helpers.

General Classes of Victims

1. The Young – the weak by virtue of age and immaturity
2. The Female – often less physically powerful and easily dominated by males.
3. The Old – the incapable of physical defense and the common object of confidence scheme.
4. The Mentally Defective – those who are unable to think clearly.
5. The Immigrant – those who are unsure of the rules of conduct in the surrounding society.
6. The Minorities – racial prejudice may lead to victimization or unequal treatment by the agency of
justice.

Types of Victims
The Depressed – those submissive by virtue of emotional condition.
The Acquisitive or Greedy – the value or act of wanting more propels such individuals into
victimization.
The Wanton or Overly Sensual - those ruled by
The Lonesome – similar to the acquisitive type of victim, by virtue of wanting companionship or
affection.
The Heartbroken – those emotionally disturbed by virtue of heartaches and pains.
The Tormentor – the type of victim who asked for it, often from his own family or friends.

The criminal justice system is charged with processing cases from the point of victimization, through
investigation, arrest, prosecution and sanctions.