INTRO TO CRIMINOLOGY &

PSYCHOLOGY OF CRIME
ARLYN M. DASCIL
Forensic - Chemist – Criminologist-Prof. Teacher
BS Chemistry; BS Crim; Ll.B.; MSCA, MPM
 The Study of Criminology
• Criminology, defined
• The term criminology was originated from
the Greek word crimin which means “crime”
and ology which means “a science, academic
field or a study”. Literally, criminology means
the scientific study of crime.
 This scientific study is confined on the
three basic lines:
• .
•> Application of criminal laws and its administration.
• 
•> Analysis of crime causation and criminal behavior.
• 
•> The prevention and control of crimes and
rehabilitation of offenders.
• 
 It is an applied science.

• To further understand crime causation,

anthropology, psychology, sociology and
other natural sciences may be applied.
 It is a Social Science

• In so far as crime as a social phenomenon, its

study could be considered as a part of social
science to the extent of understanding the
nature and application of existing laws.
•  
 It is dynamic

• The study of crime changes as to place

and social conditions. It is parallel with
the development of other sciences which
have been applied to it.
 It is nationalistic

• The study of crimes should be correlated

with the existing laws within the
territory. The issue as to whether an act
committed is a crime is reliant on the
existing criminal laws of the state.
 Code of Hammurabi
• It is the earliest surviving legal codes and
which was developed in about 2000 B.C.,
and its content is known today as famous
set of written laws.
 Mosaic Code

• This is an ancient legal code that is still

surviving, and this is not only the
foundations of Judeo-Christian moral
teachings, but it is also a basis for the
U.S. legal system
 Twelve Tables of Rome

• It still surviving in the Roman Law, and

these were formulated by a special
commission of ten men in response to
pressure from the lower classes—-the
plebeians.
Some of the forms of punishment during the
dark ages of Criminology:

• > burning
• > branding
• > beheading
 Branches of Criminology:

• Criminal Demography – study of the relationship between

criminality and population.
•  
• Criminal Ecology - the study of relationship between
criminality and environment.
•  
• Criminal Physical Anthropology – the study of criminality
in relation to the physical constitution of man.
•  
• Criminal Psychology – the study of human behavior in
relation to crimes.
 Cont. (Branches of Criminology)

• Criminal Psychiatry – the study of human mind in relation to

crimes.
•  
• Criminal Etiology – the study of the causes and factors of
crimes.
•
• Victimology - A branch of criminology that deals with the
study of reasons and principles underling victimization as
social phenomenon.
•  
 What is Psychoanalysis?

It is a branch of psychiatry based on the

theories of Sigmund Freud that employs a
particular personality theory and a
particular method of treatment, usually
individual case study.
Principal Divisions of Criminology:
• Criminal Etiology – this deals with the scientific analysis
of the causes of crime.
•  
• Sociology of Law – this deals with an attempt on the
analysis of the condition under which the penal or
criminal laws develop and constructed as a process of
formal social control,
•  
• Penology – this concerned with the control,
rehabilitation, reformation and treatment of offenders.
 The Premier School of Thoughts in
Criminology:
• Positivist School (founded by Cesare Lombroso)
• 
• Usually referred to as Italian School of Criminology that was existed through the
efforts of Cesare Lombroso, Enrico Ferri and Raffaele Garofalo. (They constitute
the Holy Three in Criminology)
•
• The Italian School contributed, that in place of man’s free will as a motivating
factor in the commission or omission of crime, careful observation and analysis of
natural phenomenon were being undertaken to explain how crimes were
resulted to, which the 18th-century reformers had not done.
• 
• >Cesare Lombroso founded the Positive School of Criminology in the Nineteenth
Century.
• 
• Classical School (Cesare Beccaria)
• This is the result of the movement to transform the
judicial system and through the efforts of Social
Reformers and Philosophers, Rousseau, Montesquieu,
Voltaire and the most famous of them, Cesare
Becarria, who argued, discussed and thought of more
rational and humane approach of punishment, taking
into account the relationship between crimes and their
punishment which should be commensurate and fair.
•  
• Neo – Classical School
• Disagreed and contested the result on the
study of Beccaria’s group that there is an
absence of free will among mentally
underdeveloped persons, those having
psychological imbalance or with personality
disorders or mentally and physically
disabilities, to commit crimes. Included are
children and insane persons who were
exempted from punishments.
• Famous Personalities in the
Field of Criminology
 1. Cesare Lombroso (1835-1909)

• Lombroso is an Italian Criminologist, known as the

Father of Modern Criminology,(and founder of Positivist
School of Criminoloy) who advanced the theory that
crime is the result of a hereditary (born criminals)
predisposition in certain individuals.
• He claimed that criminals are a distinctive physical and
biological type. He believed that the true criminal could
be recognized by observing definite physical features
and traits, including a long lower jaw, asymmetric
cranium, and other noticeable circumstances.
 2. Enrico Ferri (1856-1929)

• One of Lombroso’s students, he accepted the existence

of a criminal type but he pay attention on factors other
than innate physical characteristics and traits as
symptom of committing a crime. He considered social
factors such as population trends, religion, and the
nature of the family. He also suggested a more detailed
classification of criminal types, including the born or
instinctive criminal, the insane criminal, the passionate
criminal, the involuntary criminal, the occasional
criminal, and the habitual criminal
 3. Raffaele Garofalo (1852 – 1934)

• An Italian Lawyer, who contributed the concept

of natural crime, which he argued, was the most
important concern of criminologists. The true
criminal is one who lacks and offends the basic
sentiments of piety and probity.
• Further, he also believed that the true criminal is
a different biological or psychic type and that
the selfless deficiencies were intrinsic or innate.
 4. Charles Buckman Goring (1870 – 1919) 

• A British Criminologist, who conducted and recorded the

facial and other measurements of several criminals and
non-criminals.

• To explain further his finding, he studied Phrenology (the

study of the bumps on the outside of the skull) and
Craniology (the scientific study of the shapes, sizes, and
other characteristics of human skulls).

•  >He said that crime is normal and part of nature society.

 5. Cesare Bonesana Marchese di Beccaria

Commonly
•   known in his name Cesare Beccaria, an Italian
Criminologist, Economist, and Jurist. His principal work is
Essay on Crimes and Punishments (1764),

He argued that the “certainty—rather than the severity

—of punishment is more effective deterrent and
preventive measure to the commission of crime. “

He also argued that penalties to be imposed for criminal

offenses should be in proportion and commensurate
with the seriousness of the offense.
 6. Jeremy Bentham

• A British Philosopher who proposed the

systematic codification (arrangement) of
criminal laws. He urged lawmakers and
legislators to base crimes and
punishments on the “Principle of
utility”—that is, the greatest good for
the greatest number (Doctrine of
Utilitarianism).
7. Giambatista dela Porta (1535-1615)

• He founded the school for the study of

Physiognomy which concerned in the
study of the facial features to judge
somebody's character or temperament
and their relationship to human
behavior.
 8. Johann Kaspar Lavater (1741-1801)

•  
• A Swiss Philosopher and Theologian best
known for his writings on Physiognomy,
a highly unscientific practice involving
the divination and judging of human
character or criminal types according to
facial features.
 9. Ernest Kretschmer (1888 – 1964)

• He spearheaded the study of Somatotype

or Physiology centered to study the
relationship of the built of a person or his
physique to the type of offense which is
prone to be committed by him.
•  
 10. William H. Sheldon

•  
• An American Psychologist who further develop
somatotyping, the system of describing a
person’s body type. He came up with the
theory that establish and link between different
body types. Categorizing them into three
groups together with their corresponding
temperaments:
•
 TYPE TEMPERAMENT
Endomorphic Viscerotonic
– fat and rounded - relaxed, loves comfort and
physique extrovert

Mesomorphic Romotonic
- has stocky and - active, dynamic, and aggressive
muscular build to become criminal
Ectomorphic Cerebrotonic
- thin and bony - loner, sensitive to noise and
hates crowd
 11. Adolphe Quetelet (1796 – 1874)

• A Belgian Mathematician who introduced the

Cartographic School of Criminology. He used
social statistical data which provided
important demographic information on
population, including density, gender, religious
affiliation and wealth.
The Concept
Of
Crime
 Crime, defined.

• Crime is defined as an act committed or omitted in violation of

public law forbidding or commanding it.
•  
• Crime can be committed once an individual, who is sojourning in a
territory where the law is enforceable, perform an act punishable
by existing laws.
•  
• Crime can also be omitted once an individual failed to perform an
act or accomplish the same in which the existing laws bond
him/her to carry out.
•  
 Motive vs. Intent vs. Opportunity
• Motive is the moving power which impels one to action
for a definite result.
•  
• Intent is the purpose to use a particular means to effect
such result.
•  
• Opportunity may be defined as the chance or
probability for an individual to carry out his motive to
commit a wrongful act.
•  
 In so far as Philippine policies are concerned,
crime is categorized into three (3):

• Felony – an act committed or omitted punishable by

Revised Penal Code (RPC).
•  
• Offense – an act or omission punishable by Special Laws
and Statutes.
•  
• Misdemeanor - an act committed or omitted punishable
by Provincial, City or Municipal Ordinances.
•  
 What are MALA IN SE and MALA PROHIBITA?

• Mala in se are those acts which are

wrongful from their nature.
• Mala prohibita are those acts which
are wrong merely because
prohibited by statute.
Crime Typology – refers to the types of a particular
crime category which are categorized as follows:

• Violent Crimes – crime where violence is applied such as

assault, robbery and etc.
 
• Economic Crimes – are acts in violation to penal law committed
due reward, price or promises.
•  
• Public Order Crime or Victimless Crime – are unlawful acts that
interfered with the operation of society and the ability of people
to function efficiently. It is called as victimless crime because
there is no complaining victim such as prostitution and others.
•  
•Legal Classifications
of Crime
As to the manner crimes are committed:

• Dolo or deceit – when the act done

with deliberate intent.
• 
• Culpa or fault – when the wrongful
act is a result of imprudence or
negligence.
 As to the stages of the commission of the crime:

• Attempted – when the offense commences the commission of a felony

directly by overt acts and does not perform all the acts of execution
which should produce the felony by reason of some causes or accident
other than his/her own spontaneous desistance.
•  
• Frustrated – when the offender perform all the acts of execution which
would produce the crime as a consequence but which, nevertheless, do
not produce it by reason of causes independent to the will of the
perpetrator.
•  
• Consummated – when all the elements necessary for its execution and
accomplishment are all present.
•
 As to plurality of the crime:

• Simple Crime – when a single act constitute

one offense.
•  
• Complex Crime – when a single act constitutes
two or more grave felonies.
•  
• Compound Crime – when a single act
constitutes one grave and light felony.
As to the gravity of penalty or offense:
• Grave – those which the law attached the capital
punishment or afflictive penalties.
•  
• Less Grave – those which the law punishes with penalties
which in their maximum period are correctional.
•  
• Light – those infractions of law for the commission of
which the penalty arresto menor or a fine not exceeding
200 pesos, or both.
•  
• Criminological
Classifications of
Crime
•  
 As to the result of crime:
 

• Acquisitive Crime – when the

offender acquires something as a
consequence of his criminal act.

• Extinctive Crime – when the end

result of a criminal act is destructive.
• 
 As to period of the commission of the crime:

• Seasonal Crime – crime committed only

during a certain period of the year.

• Situational Crime – those committed

only when the given situation is
conducive to its commission.
 As to the length of commission of the crime:

• Instant Crime – committed in the

shortest possible time.

• Episodial Crime – crime committed by a

series of act in a longer space of time.
 As to the place or location of the
commission:

• Static Crime – crime committed in

one place.
• Continuing Crime – crime committed
in several places.
•  
 As to the use of mental faculties:

• Rational Crime – crime committed with intent

and the offender is in full control of his sanity.

• Irrational Crime – crime committed by

persons who do not know the nature and
quality of their actions on account of the
diseases of the mind.
 As to the type of offender:
• White - Collar Crime – crime committed by
persons of high respectability and of the upper
socio-economic class, whose offense is
committed in the course of their occupational
activities.

• Blue - Collar Crime – those committed by

ordinary professional criminal, only to maintain
their livelihood.
 Why must members of society be oriented
about crime?
• Crime is pervasive – Almost all members of a free society
are once upon a time a victim or an offender of a
criminal act. Crime as an associate of society affects
almost all people regardless of age, sex, race,
nationality, religion, financial condition, education and
other personal circumstances.
•  
• Crime is Expensive – the government and private sectors
spend an enormous amount of money for crime
detection, prosecution, correction and prevention.
• Crime is destructive – many lives and properties are lost
and damage.
•  
• Crime is reflective – crime rate or incidences in a given
locality is reflective of the effectiveness of the social
defense employed by the people – primarily of the police
system.
•  
• Crime is progressive – the progressive increase in the rate
of crime is one account of the year increasing population.
 Distinctions between Crime and Sin:

Crime is an act or omission in violation of the existing

laws of the state while sin is an act or omission in
violation of divine or spiritual law.
•  
• In terms of punishment, any individual found
guilty of criminal act by a legitimate court he/she
will serve the penalty during the span of his/her
life, while the penalty for sinful act is imposed,
according to biblical passages, life thereafter.
The Study of
Criminals
 Criminal, defined

• Refers to any person who is found guilty

of the crime charge, by a competent
court, after observing the required
standard judicial procedure (due process
of law) and shall serve and pay the
prescribed penalty (legal).
 Distinction between Criminal and Delinquent:

• A criminal is a person who has violated the

penal law and has been found guilty of the
crime charges upon observing the standards
of judicial procedure while a delinquent is a
person who merely committed an act which is
not in conformity with the norms of society.
 Distinction between Criminal and Accused:

• A criminal is a person who violated the penal

law and has been found guilty thereof, by the
competent court, after due process of law and
shall serve and pay the prescribed penalty
while a accused refers any person who is
charged of a crime, under investigation and /
or detained in jail while the case is in the trial
process.
•  
 •General
Classifications of
Criminals
 According to Etiology of Crime

• Acute Criminal – A person, who violates criminal law

because of the impulse, fit of passion or anger or
spell of extreme jealousy.  
• Chronic Criminal - a person who acted in
consonance with deliberate thinking such as:
(a) Neurotic Criminal – a person whose actions arise from intra-psychic
conflict between the social and anti-social components of his
personality.
•  (b) Normal Criminal – a person whose psychic organization resembles
that of formal individuals except that he identified himself with criminal
prototype.
 According to Behavioral System

•Ordinary Criminal – the lowest form of criminal career who usually

engaged in conventional crimes which requires limited skills and lack
of organization to avoid arrest and convictions.
• 
•Organized Criminals – a high degree of organization to enable them
to commit crime without being detected and committed to
specialized activities which can be operated in large scale business.
• 
•Professional Criminal – are highly skilled and able to obtain
considerable amount of money, prize or reward without being
detected because of organization.
• 
 According to Activities

• Professional Criminals – those who earn their living through criminal

activities.
• 
• Accidental Criminals – those who commit criminal acts as a result of
unforeseen circumstances.
• 
• Habitual Criminals – are those who continue to commit criminal acts for
such various reasons due to deficiency of intelligence and lack of self-control.
• 
• Situational Criminals – are those who actually not criminals but constantly in
trouble with legal authorities because they commit criminal acts due to
economic, security and safety problems.
• 
 According to Mental Attitude

• Active Aggressive Criminals – are those who committed

crime in an impulsive manner usually due to the
aggressive behavior of the offender. Such attitude clearly
manifested in crimes of passion, revenge or resentments.
•  
• Passive Inadequate Criminals – are those who commit
crime because they are pushed to it by inducement, by
reward or promise without considering its consequences.
• Socialized Delinquents – are those normal in behavior but
merely defective in their socialization processes.
•Schools of
Criminology
 Cartographic School of Criminology -

• This approach made use of social statistics that were

being developed in Europe in the early nineteenth
century that provided important demographic
information on the population, including density,
gender, religious affiliations, and wealth. Many of
the relationships between crime and social
phenomena identified then still serve as a basis for
criminology today.
•  
 Lombroso identified two other types:

• 1.insane criminal or born criminal - alcoholics,

kleptomaniacs, nymphomaniacs, and child molesters.
•  
• Insane criminals- are those who commit crime due to
abnormalities or psychological disorders. They should be
exempted from criminal liability.
•  
• Born criminals - are are atavists according to Lombroso
because they have inherited their criminal tendencies.
•
• 2.criminaloids or habitual criminals
• Criminaloids -are persons who commit crime due to
less physical stamina or self control.
• Ferri was instrumental in formulating the concept of
"social defense" as a justification for punishment.
This theory of punishment asserts that its purpose
is not to deter or to rehabilitate, for how could
behavior not based on rational calculus be deterred,
and how could born criminals be rehabilitated?
•Biological Factors
 Physiognomy

• This is the study of the relationship between the

facial features and human conduct of a person in
relation to his crimes. This study or science was
used by Becarria in 1764 (Crimes and Punishment)
and Lavator in 1775 (Physiognomical Fragment)
wherein they both stated that the way to discover
the character of a person is by:
• a. observation of his physical appearance
• b. measurement of the outward appearance
 Phrenology and Craniology

•  
• This is the study of the external formation
of the skull that increases that indicates
the conformation of the brain and the
development of its various parts in
relation to the behavior of the criminal.
•  
 Study of Physical Defects and Handicapped in Relation to Crimes
 

• Leaders of notorions criminal groups are

usually nicknamed in accordance with
their physical defects and handicapped
such as funny words “Dorong Pilay”,
“Asiong Bingot”, “Densiong Unano”,
“Roger Komang” and others.
Study of Kretschmer by classifying types of physique and the type of crimes they are prone to commit:
 

• a. Pyknik type - Those who are stout and with round bodies.
They tend to commit deception, fraud and violence. 
• b. Athletic Type - Those who are muscular and strong. They
usually connected with crimes of violence.
•  
• c. Aesthetic type - Those are skinny and slender. Their crimes
are petty thievery and fraud
•  
• d. Dysplastic or mixed type - Those who are less clear evident
having any predominant type. Their offenses are against
decency and morality.
 Study of Heredity as the causes of Crimes:
 

• The common household expression like:

“it is in the blood” and “like father like
son” are usually heard and said
whenever there are several members in
the family are criminals
 Study of William Sheldon (varieties of Delinquent Youth)
classifying types of physique and criminal temperaments :
Types of Physique Temperament
a. Endomorphic – relatively great a. Viscerotonic – general relaxation of
development of digestive viscera; body; a comfortable person; loves luxury
tendency to put on fact; soft roundness and essentially extrovert person.
through various regions of the body; short
tapering limbs; small bones and smooth
velvety skin
b. Mesomorphic – relatively b. Somotonic – active, dynamic assertive
predominance of muscles, bone and the gestures and behave aggressively.
motor organs of the body; large wrist and
hands, if lean a hard rectangular outline.

c. Ectomorphic – relatively predominance c. Cerebrotonic – introvert full of

of skin and its appendage which includes
the nervous system, fragile, delicate body,
small delicate bones, droopy shoulder,
small face, sharp nose, fine hair, relatively
small body mass and great surface areas.
functional complaints, allergies, skin
troubles, chronic fatigue, insomnia,
sensitive skin and to noise shrinks from
crowd.
Study of Kallikak Family (Goddard
• Martin Kallikak was a soldier of the American
revolutionary war and while stationed in a
small village he met and had illicit relations
with a feebleminded girl. About 489
descendants from this lineage where traced
which included 143 feebleminded and only 46
were normal. Thirty-six (36) were intelligent, 3
were epileptics, 3 criminals, 8 kept brothels
and 82 died during infancy.
• At the close of the war, he returned to his home
and married a woman from a good family. Out
of his marriage, 4,967 of the descendants has
been traced and all but one (1) were normal
mentally, only two (2) were known alcoholic, one
(1)convicted of religious offense, 15 died in
infancy and no one became criminal or epileptic.
• 
•
 Study of Juke Family Tree (Dugdale & Estabrook)

• The Juke family consisted of 6 girls some of whom

were illegitimate. One of the six sisters, Ada Juke,
was known as “Margaret the mother of
Criminals”. Dugdale traced the 1,200 descendants
for 75 years from its origin and found 280 as
paupers, 140 criminals, 60 habitual thieves, 300
infants prematurely born, 7 murderers, 50
prostitutes, 440 contaminated with sexual
diseases and 30 were prosecuted for bastardies.
 Study of Sir Jonathan Edwards’ Family Tree

• Sir Jonathan Edwards was a famous preacher

during colonial period. When his family tree
was traced, none of the descendants was
found to be criminal. On the other hand, many
become presidents of Unite States, governors
and members of Supreme Court, famous
writes, preachers and teachers.
•  
 Psychoanalytic and psychiatric factors

• Psychoanalytic is defined as the

analysis of human mind while
psychiatry could be defined as the
study of human mind.
• 
 Various studies of human behavior and
mind in relation to the causes of crimes.
• Several noted criminologist have advanced the theories that
criminal behavior is developed among individuals, consonant
with the development of his human mind, traits and behavior.
Among them are:
•  
• ALCHORN in his book entitled Wayward Youth in 1925 argued
that the causes of crime and delinquency are the faulty
development of the child during the first few years of his life. As
child, the human being normally follows only the pleasure
impulses instinctively. Soon he grew up and finds some
restriction to these pleasure, these impulses must be controlled.
• ABRAHAMSEN, David in his Crime and Human Mind in 1945, he
explained that the causes of crime can be calculated using this formula.
• 
• CB = CT + CIS
• MERT
• 
• Where: CB – Criminal Behavior
• CT – Criminal Tendency
• CIS – Crime Inducing Situation
• MERT – Mental and Emotional Resistance to Temptation
• 
• CYRIL BURT (Young Delinquenct, 1925) introduced
the Theory of General Emotionality. According to him
many offenses can be traced instinctively drive. An
excess of the submissive instinct account for the
tendency of many criminals to be weak willed or
easily led. Fear and absconding may be due to the
impulse of being fear. Callous type of offender may
be due to the tendency in the primitive emotion of
love and an excess of the instinct of hate.
•  
• HEALY (Individual Delinquency) claimed that
crime is an expression of the mental content
of an individual. Frustration of the individual
causes emotional discomfort; personality
demands of pain and the pain is eliminated by
substitute behavior, which is delinquency of
the individual.
• BROMBERG (Crime and the Mind, 1948) claimed
that criminality is the result of emotional immunity.
Person who is emotionally matures when he has
learned to control his emotion effectively and who
lives at peace with himself and in harmony with the
standards of conduct which are acceptable to the
society. An emotionally immature person rebel
against rules and regulations, tend to engage in
unusual activities and experience a feeling of guilt
due to inferiority complex.
• SIGMUND FREUD (The Ego and The Id, 1927) in his psychoanalytic
theory of human personality and crimes has the following
explanations.

• (a.)“Id” is impulses or instinct of social drives. It contains that is

inherited which is present at birth. A newly born infant enter the
world with an energy reservoir, of instinctive biological drives
which is uncontaminated by external reality.
•  
• >Dominated by Pleasure Principle, through which the individual is
pressed for immediate gratification of his or her desires.
•  
• (b.)“Ego” is formed as part of man’s physical organization between his
sensory stimuli on one hand and his motor activity on the other. The ego
operated on the basis of expediency. The question whether right or wrong,
safe or dangerous, permitted or prohibited does not play an important role.
The child begins to acquire awareness of ones self-distinct from the
environment. Decisions are reached in terms of reality principle.
•  
• (c.)“Super-ego” means the conscience of man. It is the role of agencies
outside the home which tries to control the ego. The super-ego and maybe
represented by the voice of God, moral, truth, commandments of society,
good for the whole will of the majority, cultural conventions and other rules.
•  
•  
 The Gianell Index of Criminality
• This criminosynthesis explains the reason why a
person may commit a crime or inhibit himself from
doing so under the following conditions:
•  
• Need Frustration
•  
• The person before committing the crime is likely to
feel unhappy, unsatisfied, resentful or angry about
something in particular or about life in general.
• Internal Inhibition
• 
• It refers to all types of internal forces which may prevent a person
from committing a crime. These forces may be the person’s
conscience, or his principles, or his sense of self-respect, or the
particular conception he has of himself of a sense of guilt or
remorse that he may experience if he commits certain actions.
• 
• External Inhibition
• 
• This refers to all types of external forces which may prevent an
individual from committing crime. These forces may be produced
by the thought that the person may get caught if he commits the
crime, or sentenced to prison for a given number of years, or
disgraced in the community, or punished in some other ways.
•  
• Contact with Reality
• This refers to the extent to which person can learn from his past
experiences, especially his past mistakes, as well as to the extent to
which he can evaluate accurately the present situation and foresee
the consequence of his present action in relation to his future.
•  
• Situational Crime Potential
•  
• This refers to the cultural opportunity to commit the crime that is to
the easiness or possibilities to commit a crime offered by given
place, situation person or environment.
•  
• Potential Satisfaction
•  
• This refers to the balance of gain and loss that
a person may experience if he commits a
given crime if a person has nothing to lose; he
is more likely to commit the crime.
 •
Mental
.

disturbances as
causes of crime.
  

Mental Deficiency
 

• A condition of arrested or incomplete

development of the mind existing before the
age of 18, whether arising from inherent causes
or induced by disease or injury. Mentally
deficient persons are prone to commit malicious
damage to property and unnatural sex offenses.
They may commit violent crimes but definitely
not crimes involving the use of mentality.
•  
 Classes of mental deficiency:

• Idiots – persons whose case there exist mental

defectiveness is such a degree that they are unable
to guard themselves against common physical
dangers. Their mentality is compared to a 2 years old
person.
• Imbeciles – person in whose case there exist mental
defectiveness which though not amounting to idiocy,
is yet so pronounced that they are incapable of
managing themselves or their affairs. Their mentality
is like a child of 2 to 7 years old.
 – Feeble-minded persons – those in whose case there
exist mental defectiveness which though not
amounting to imbecility, is yet so pronounced that
they require care, supervision, and control for their
own or for the protection of others, or in the case of
children, they appear to be permanently incapable by
reason of such defectiveness or receiving proper
benefit from the instruction in ordinary schools.
•  
– Moral defectiveness – person wherein mental defect
exists coupled with strong vicious or criminal
propensities, and who require care and supervision,
and control for their own or for the protection of
others.
 Schizophrenia

• This is sometimes called dementia praecox

which is a form of psychosis characterized by
thinking and intellectual functions are well
preserved. The personal appearance is
dilapidated and the patient is liable to
impulsive acts, destructively and may commit
suicide.
 Compulsive Neurosis
 

• This is the uncontrollable or irresistible

impulse to do something. There may be
an active desire to resist the irrational
behavior prevented by the unconscious
motives to act out his difficulty or to
suffer miserably in his fear.
•  
 Psychopathic Personality
• This is the most important cause of criminality
among youthful offenders and habitual
criminals. It is characterized by infantile level
of response, lack of conscience, deficient
feeling of affection to others and aggression
to environment and other people.
 Epilepsy

• This is a condition characterized by convulsive

seizures and tendency to mental
deterioration. Seizure may result to extreme
loss of consciousness. During the attack the
person become muscularly rigid, respiration
ceases froth on the mouth and tongue maybe
bitten.
 Types of Epilepsy:

• Grand Mal – there is a complete loss of consciousness and

general contraction of the muscles.
•  
• Petit Mal – mild or complete loss of consciousness and
contraction of muscles.
•  
• Jacksonian Type – localized contraction of muscles with or
without loss of consciousness.
 •Sociological
Causes of Crime
 Lack of parental guidance

• .
• Much of our life is influenced by the type of
parents we have. Experience proves that
many parents lack of control over their
children through ignorance, severity,
carelessness, indifference.
 Broken homes and Family

• A family is a homogenous, unified and

intimate social group wherein children have
their initial experience with other; receive
protection, normal instruction and basic
physical and emotional satisfaction.
•  
•  
 . Injuring status of neighborhood
• The residence in slum or impoverished areas
will lower the social status of the child. They
are generally congested have more than the
average number of cheap amusement places,
have few recreational facilities. As a rule,
people are influenced by these surroundings
and often get in trouble.
 .
Bad association with criminal groups

• As we once said that: “one bad apple will spoil

a barrel of good ones.” Unfortunately holds
true, to a great degree among people.
Experience shows that the influence of a few
bad ones is more often felt than the opposing
influence a few good companions.
 Lack of Recreational facilities for proper use of leisure time

• Recreational facilities are especially necessary if we are

to use up youthful energy in a legitimate way. Too often,
in those areas where they are most needed, such things
as parks, clubs, and other are missing. Consequently
many of our young people tend to use their energies in
mischievous, if not illegal pursuits. On the other hand,
we may not have hobbies to occupy our leisure time. As
a result, our time is sometimes spent in illegal ways. It is
true that “an idle mind is the devil’s workshop.”
•  
 Lack of employment poverty

• Lack of employment gives us too much leisure

time, leads us to poverty, loss of self respect
which may lead us to crime. Although
however, poverty in itself is not a direct cause
of crime, it is true that it may set up demands
and situations that can be satisfied only by
larceny, illegal occupations and drunkenness.
•Theories of Crime
and Criminal
Behavior
 Theory of Subversion and Containment -

• It is a theory discussed by Stephen Greenblatt in his

essay Invisible Bullets. Subversion and Containment
is a means of control. At its simplest level this is
achieved by manipulating the fact that another has
doubt in their beliefs. The doubt is dubbed
Subversion and control of this is Containment.
Where this process is calculated, the Subversion is
created by the party that wishes to contain it -
Production, Subversion and Containment.
 Differential Association Theory
• It is a theory developed by Edwin Sutherland
proposing that through interaction with
others, individuals learn the values, attitudes,
techniques, and motives for criminal behavior.
Differential Association theory states that
criminal behavior is learned behavior and
learned via social interaction with others.
•  
Theory of Differential Oppression
• Because children lack power due to their age,
size, and lack of resources, they are easy
targets for adult oppression. Children are
exposed to different levels and types of
oppression that vary depending on their age,
level of development, socioeconomic class,
race, and the beliefs and perceptions of their
parents.
 Rational Choice Theory
• It is also known as rational action theory, is a
framework for understanding and often
formally modeling social and economic
behavior. It is the dominant theoretical
paradigm in microeconomics. It is also central
to modern political science and is used by
scholars in other disciplines such as sociology
and philosophy.
 Routine Activity Theory
• is a sub-field of rational choice criminology,
developed by Marcus Felson and Lawrence Cohen.
• Routine activity theory says that crime is normal
and depends on the opportunities available. If a
target is not protected enough, and if the reward is
worth it, crime will happen. Crime does not need
hardened offenders, super-predators, convicted
felons or wicked people. Crime just needs an
opportunity.
 Social Disorganization Theory
Pioneers Clifford R. Shaw and Henry D. McKay
suggested that disorganized communities
characterized by poverty, population
heterogeneity, and residential mobility
weakened the effectiveness of social controls.
Weakened social controls led to the inability of
communities to solve problems, which, in turn,
led to crime.
 Social Learning Theory
• Is the theory that people learn new behavior
through overt reinforcement or punishment,
or via observational learning of the social
actors in their environment. If people observe
positive, desired outcomes in the observed
behavior, they are more likely to model,
imitate, and adopt the behavior themselves.
•  
 The Strain Theory
• According to Merton is identified in two kinds of Strain: Structural
and Individual.
•  
– Structural: this refers to the processes at the societal level which filter
down and affect how the individual perceives his or her needs, i.e. if
particular social structures are inherently inadequate or there is
inadequate regulation, this may change the individual's perceptions as to
means and opportunities; or

– Individual: this refers to the frictions and pains experienced by an

individual as he or she looks for ways to satisfy his or her needs, i.e. if the
goals of a society become significant to an individual, actually achieving
them may become more important than the means adopted.
 Labeling Theory (also known as social
reaction theory)

• It was developed by sociologist Howard Becker and Frank

Tannenbaum. It concerned with how the self-identity and
behavior of an individual is influenced (or created) by how
that individual is categorized and described by others in
their society. Originating in sociology and criminology, the
theory focuses on the linguistic tendency of majorities to
negatively label minorities or those seen as deviant from
norms, and is associated with the concept of a
self-fulfilling prophecy and stereotyping.
 Neutralization Theory

• The Neutralization Theory says that criminals rationalize actions

by neutralizing the definitions of crime.
• There are 5 major types of neutralization:
• Denial of Responsibility: Propelled helplessly into crime.
• Denial of Injury: Crime does not hurt anyone, not morally wrong.
• Denial of The Victim: Victim did not receive injury but rather,
rightful force.
• Condemnation of The Condemners: Condemners are hypocrites,
deviants as well.
• Appeal To Higher Loyalties: Loyalty to a higher power than law,
like friendship.
 Differential Identification Theory
• A person pursues criminal behavior to the extent that
he identifies himself with real or imaginary persons
from whose perspective his criminal behavior seems
acceptable. A person with the propensities of
becoming a thief will consider thieves as their ideal
person to identify themselves. The identification
need not be in intimate personal association but it
may be done identifying themselves with character in
movies, radios and televisions.
•  
 Imitation-Suggestion Theory
• Gabriel Tarde argued that delinquency and
crime pattern are learned and adopted. The
learning process may either be conscious type
of copying (imitation) or unconscious copying
(suggestion) of confronting pattern of
behavior.
Conflict of Culture Theory of Thorsten Sellin

• He emphasized that multiplicity of conflicting

culture is the principal source of social
disorganization. The high crime and
delinquency rates of certain ethnic or racial
group is explained by their exposure to diverse
and incongruent standards and code.
Containment Theory by Reckless.
• Accordingly, criminality is brought about by
the inability of the group to contain the
behavior of its and that of effective
containment of the individual into the value
system and structure of society will minimize
crime.
•  
•Criminal Psychology
• Psychology is generally defined as the science
that studies the human behavior. While
criminal psychology is a branch of psychology
that studies criminal behavior and the mental
processes of criminals.
• TYPES OF MENTAL
AND PSYCHOLOGICAL
DISORDERS
• Disorders encountered by
children :
 Lack of attention disorder

• The Lack of attention disorder is related to autism.

• Children with a Lack of attention disorder are
continuously restless and impulsive. Some
characteristics of the disorder are:
• 1. The child cannot sit quietly when needed, moves
constantly with its hands and feet and is quickly
diverted by incentives from the environment.
• 2. The child has difficulty doing what it is asked and
does not finish what it started. This is caused by its
inability to focus its attention.
 Syndrome of Gilles de la Tourette
• The syndrome of Gilles de la Tourette usually manifests
itself around the age of seven. Sometimes in parallel
with the Lack of attention disorder. It may have the
same origin as the Lack of attention disorder

The syndrome is characterized by tics. This can be

repetitive, involuntary movements of the body, but
also the making of compulsive noises or twitches of
the face. The most striking phenomena is the fact that
the patient tends to speak dirty and obscene language
 .
Sexual problems caused by abuse

• This trauma is caused by sexual abuse.

Sexually abused children are often frightened. Later

on they may find it difficult to have sexual
intercourse caused by the return of unpleasant
feelings. Sometimes these children will become
aggressive when seduced or when they witness a
sexual act.
 . Autism

• An autistic person is not able to use language

usefully and to process information it receives in
a good manner. Half of the autistic people do not
speak and those who do speak often repeat
what they hear. The term autism refers to listless
and reserved appearance, but the connotation of
voluntary lack of interest is not suited.
•Psychic disorders
resulting from
bodily disorder
 Disorder in the experience of the body
• This disorder comes into being when people have too high
expectations of themselves (and particularly of their body).
They have excessive demands which they are not willing to
give up. They have an obsession about their appearance. The
disorder originates from feelings of inferiority and the fear to
attract attention and make a fool of themselves.

Someone who suffers from this disorder is often too

concerned about his looks and is annoyed by every small stain
or lump on his body. To prevent that someone else discovers
their 'physical defect' it may even happen that people do not
dare to appear on the streets anymore. Often people set all
their hopes on a medical surgery, but most of the time this
does not have the desired result.
 Amnesia
 

• Amnesia is a partly memory disorder.

•  
• Amnesia patients suffer from a partly memory
disorder. Things that happened a long time ago
can still be remembered most of the time, but
often the patient is no longer aware when and
how they happened. Amnesia patients lack the
ability to learn and to remember new things.
 . Alzheimer
•
The causes of Alzheimer are partly hereditary. It is
estimated that about 40% of the Alzheimer disease
has a hereditary origin. The effect of Alzheimer is in
the brain, brain tissue is being broken down. The
result of this is the deterioration of intellectual
skills.

The disease manifests itself through concentration

problems and forgetting things.
 • .

Psychotic disorders
 Schizophrenia

• The appearance of schizophrenia is partly hereditary.

•  
• People who suffer from the disease cannot or do not want to
express what their problems are. There are certain signals that
can point to schizophrenia. Schizophrenia could exist if
someone:
• is frightened or confused in a way others cannot understand;
• does not succeed to perform at work, in his study or hobby in a
way to be expected;
• talks in a silly way, sometimes with new made up words;
• claims to hear voices or talks to imaginary people;
• stays in bed all day, but goes around the house
at night;
• threatens to hurt himself;
• does not have any friends or at the best short
or superficial contacts;
• claims to be someone else;
• says that others pull thoughts out of his head
or alternatively put them in.
 . Paranoid

• This physical disease originates from fear,

mostly fear from the direct neighborhood.
Often the person thinks that all kind of plots
are set up against him.

Paranoid people are characterized by

delusion; they continuously have the feeling
of being threatened.
 Syndrome of Korsakov
 

• The syndrome of Korsakov can be the result of

a chronic form of alcoholism, but it can also be
caused by a trauma of the brain.

The syndrome of Korsakov can result in a

disorder of the ability to impress upon
something and a disorientation of time, place
and person. Also disorder of memory can
occur.
 . Delirium
• A delirium can appear on short notice and may also
disappear on short notice. Causes of a delirium can be:
• Abstinence of medicine or drugs
• Disorder of the hormone metabolism (diabetes)
• Infection diseases (pneumonia)
• Metabolism diseases (uremia)
• Heart and vascular diseases (coronary, stroke)
• Trauma of the skull or brain
• Dementia
• Poisoning (from alcohol, drugs or medication
 A person suffering from a delirium has the
following symptoms:
• Its consciousness is not clear, he sees its
environment different from which it is and he
makes a dizzy impression.
• He is disorientated; most of the time he does not
know what time it is and where he is.
• He observes strange things; he sees and hears
things which are not there.
• He cannot remember things because he is not
clear.
• .

•
Mood Disorders
 Depression
• A depression is a big mood change, in which people feel
sad and completely powerless. Biological factors play an
important role in the cause of a depression; some people
have a larger tendency to suffer from the disorder than
others. But also psychic factors play a role.

Depressed people are listless and often stay in bed or in

an easy chair all day. They feel worthless and worry
about everything.
 Manic episodes
• A manic episode is a disorder of the mood. Its origin is similar to
that of a depression.

General characteristics of a manic episode are:

• The patient is abnormally busy or excited.
• During a busy period the patient has the feeling that he can do
anything.
• The patient has a reduced need for sleep.
• The patient is extremely talkative.
• The patient thought is wild and chaotic.
• The patient gets easily distracted.
• The patient causes trouble in trying to do everything.
•Fear disorders
 Phobias
• Phobias are extreme fears in specific situations lacking
real danger or fears which are completely out of
proportion.

A phobia often originates from a negative experience with

the subject concerning the phobia. There appear to be
hereditary influences, but a phobia can also be taught.

A phobia for something exists if exposure to that

something results in a panic attack.
 Obsession

• An obsession is an obsessional-compulsive
disorder.
• An obsession is characterized by involuntary
repetitive acts or thoughts.
 Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• This disease originates from a traumatic experience.
This can be an experience in a concentration camp,
a rape or a war.

People who suffer from PTSD often have fear-

symptoms and nightmares. Sometimes people
even deny the experiences they have been through,
or they blame themselves.
 •.
• Eating disorders
 Anorexia nervosa
• People with anorexia nervosa are constantly afraid of
becoming fat and as a result suppress their appetite and
the feeling of getting hungry. People with anorexia
nervosa constantly and downwardly adjust their ideal
weight. In spite of a serious loss of weight, they
continuously consider themselves too fat. Over time they
loose the normal feelings for appetite, hunger and
satisfaction. They constantly watch the calories they eat
and their eating pattern becomes more and more
monotonous.
 .
Bulimia nervosa

• People who suffer from bulimia nervosa stuff

themselves often. They just eat whatever is
close at hand and afterwards they try to
throw up everything. These rituals of stuffing
themselves are attempts to forget their
problems.
•Disorders in the
ability to control
oneself
 Addiction to gambling

• Mostly the problem originates when people start

to gamble at a gambling machine when they
have a night out. Often this gambling continues
out of boredom which causes the addiction.

There is a continuous need to gamble and this

costs money. This often leads to stealing and the
patient gets social problems as a result.
 Kleptomania
• Kleptomania is a strong desire to steal. Often a kleptomaniac
person steals things he could have bought easily or things that
are not at all expensive. The person steals just for the tension
or the kick. Kleptomania can be the result of emotional
shortcomings during the youth.

These patients have an irresistible inclination to steal. Often

they throw away the stolen goods. They are mostly interested
in the kick of the stealing itself. Although psychiatrists consider
kleptomania as a disease, this is not a legal excuse in front of
an American or British court.
 . Pyromania

• Pyromania is a strong need to set things on

fire. It is all about the kick it gives to see what
other people have to do to extinguish the fire.
•
The patient sets a lot on fire and enjoys to see
what others have to do as a result of this.
 . Suicidal tendencies
• Suicidal tendencies are common phenomena.
They can have different causes. Often suicidal
people have the impression that nobody cares
about them. They are looking for more
attention. They may even blackmail people by
announcing to commit suicide if they will not
do what they are asked to do.
• Personality disorders:
 Avoiding personality

• People with an avoiding personality do not

dare to enter in a discussion with other
people. They hardly dare to communicate
with others and are afraid to be humiliated.
 Dependent personality

• People with a dependent personality are

emotionally dependent of other people. They
have difficulty in taking decisions without
having consulted other people. They always
want to be in the company of others.
 Antisocial personality

•
Often they do not care about the law and they
use others, who they humiliate and abuse, for
their own pleasure. People who suffer from
this disorder are often called psychopaths.
 Borderline personality disorder

•
People with a borderline personality disorder
have problems maintaining a relationship.
They often see small problems as huge ones.
•  
 What is Regression ?

• Regression is a behavior pattern where an

individual return to a state of form adjustment
and attempt to experience them again in
memory.
 What is Neurobiological approach ?

• It is a contemporary approach that

relates behavior to events taking place
inside the body, specifically the brain and
the nervous system.
•  
 . Erotomania

• Refers to morbid propensity to make love.

 Crime of Repression  

• Crime that is committed when members of

the group are prevented from achieving their
fullest potential because of status bias.
GOODLUCK AND
GOD BLESS!