Chapter Three: Individual Causes of Delinquency Flashcards
Trait Theories
(Biological Positivism) theories that suggest that juveniles commit crime because of particular traits, characteristics, deficits, or psychopathologies
Classical School
Founders: Montesquieu, Bentham, and Beccaria
Basic Premise: Humans guided by felicific calculus; humans are rational creatures with free will, and thus can be held responsible for their behavior/
Sees punishment as practical, and that it should be proclaimed in advance, proportionate to the offense, and should outweigh the rewards on the crime
Rationality
Ability to make sound deciions
Felicific Calculus
a method for determining the sum total of pleasure and pain produced by an act; also the assumption that human beings strive to obtain a favorable balance of pleasure and pain
Routine Activities Apporach
the contention that the crime trends and cycles are related to the nature of everyday patterns of social interaction that characterize the society in which they occur
Positivism
the view that laws govern human behavior and these laws can be understood and used
Biological Determinism
a philosophy that our genes determine our behavior
Sociobiology
an expression of biological positivism that stresses the interaction between biological factors within an individual and the influence of a person’s particular environment; the systematic study of the biological basis of all social behavior
Traits Associated with Delinquency
Atavism - Ceasre Lombroso
“Warrior” Gene - Mutation on the MAOA gene
Intelligence - Hirschi & Hindelang
Body Type (Mesomorphs)
Neuropsychological Factors Associated with Delinquency
ADHD
Environmental Factors Associated with Delinquency
Maternal smoking
Maternal alcohol use
Lead exposure
Poor nutrition
Personality Factors Associated with Delinquency
Psychopath
