Readings in Criminal Behavior.

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Text book: Criminal Investigation (7th Edition) by Wayne W. Bennett. Also see: notes on The Body in Question. Contents of Criminal Investigation: Criminal Investigation: An Overview. Documenting the Scene: Note Taking, Photography and Sketching. Searches. Forensics/Physical Evidence. Obtaining Information. Identifying and Arresting Suspects. Death Investigations. Assault, Domestic Violence, Stalking and Elder Abuse. Sex Offenses. Crimes against Children. Robbery. Burglary. Larceny/Theft, Fraud, White Collar Crime and Environmental Crime. Motor Vehicle Theft. Arson. Computer Crime. Organized Crime, Bias/Hate Crime and Ritualistic Crime. Gang Related Crime. Illegal Drugs and Terrorism. Writing the Reports, Preparing for and Presenting Cases in Court.

Readings in Criminal Behavior

• Assigned Readings from criminal behavior course taken at Cabrillo College, Spring, 2006.

• Volume #1: Section (1) on Home Environment

• Volume #1: Section (2) on Child Abuse

• Volume #2: Section (1) on Learning Disabilities

• Volume #2: Section (2) on Fatherhood and Parenting

• Volume #2: Section (3) on Genetics

Assigned Readings

Volume #1: Section (1) on Home Environment

1. "Kids: TV preaches sex, lying, violence." Mercury News Wire Services. Date unspecified.
   • Children Now (national children's advocacy group) surveyed 750 children 10-to-16 years on how TV shapes their values.

   • 2/3 said they are influenced by TV.

   • 77% said TV shows too much premarital sex.

   • 2/3 cited shows that encourage young viewers to disrespect parents.

   • 82% said TV should teach them right from wrong.

   • Separate analysis of 80 TV programs showed relatively little respect for family relationships, success in school, community roles, or earning money.

2. "Why kids kill," by Gina Boubion. Mercury News. Date unspecified.
   • In 1980s, 10-year increase of 90% nationwide in juveniles (10-17) arrested on suspicion of murder. Over a similar 9 years, 143% increase in California.

   • Several case studies including 1981 murder and rape by 16-year-old boy of 14-year-old girl, and the subsequent viewing of the body by school students for days before the police were told.

   • Often violent children first learn about violence at home.

   • Home life fails to provide "direction, discipline, and structure" that kids "yearn for" and so they turn to gangs. Kids' parents don't teach them how to express and control their anger.

3. "Sociologists who proved juvenile delinquency can be predicted." Source and date unspecified.
   • 1940s-1950s, Gluecks developed multifactor prediction scale for delinquents; compared 500 delinquents with 500 non-delinquents; matched groups by age, ethnicity, IQ, social-economic class; results from social, intellectual, temperamental, & physical factors showed none is predominant.

   • Kids 5-8 years old rated numerically on 5 scales: (1) affection of the father for the child; (2) discipline by the father; (3) affection of the mother for the child; (4) supervision and discipline by the mother; (5) cohesiveness of the family.

   • Glueck's 1952 study of 244 6-year-old boys in NYC, predicting delinquency using three factors not involving fathers. 10 years later, 85% of boys they predicted would become delinquent did; 97% of those unlikely to become delinquents did not.

   • 9-of-10 persistent juvenile offenders could have been identified at 6 years; similarly 90% of delinquents could have been identified.

   • Delinquency occurs when parents fail to instill in their kids respect, discipline, and concern for others and their property.

4. "Your child's brain," by Sharon Begley. Newsweek. Date unspecified.
   • Some neurons are connected to the brain when a baby is born. Quarter million neurons/minute added during gestation. But for trillions of neurons, not till they are used after birth do they become connected into the brain; connections promoted by activity.

   • Neuron growth spurt at 2-4 months.

   • Time limits ~ critical periods ~ development windows.

   • 1970s experiment of sewing shut one eye of newborn kitten --< blind after eye unsewn; never connected to visual cortex. i.e. the window of opportunity has closed for wiring the retina to the visual cortex (i.e., the eyesight into the brain).

   • Language: by 6 months, a baby's auditory map in the brain is different depending on the language spoken in his home. By 12 months, babies' "babbling has acquired the sounds of their language." The more words a child hears by 2 years, the larger her vocabulary will grow. So talk to your child and use grownup language.

   • Music: the younger that a child was when starting to play an instrument (and not how much time she practiced as an adult), the more of her cortex she used for music as a grownup.

   • Math & logic: Improved in preschoolers by 8 months of piano or singing lessons. Exposure to music rewires neural circuits.

   • Emotions: attunement (emotional resonance); 10-18 months develop circuits to infuse reason into emotions and create a control switch.

   • Movement: Window of first 4 years.

   • Head Start for 2-to-4-year olds: IQ gains, but fade after 3 years. Abecedarian preschoolers (4 months to 8 years) retained average IQ "edge" of 4.6. The earlier the intervention, the more enduring the gains.

   • Time when windows open/close: see notes for March 7^th, 2006.

5. "Latchkey kids," web page with dates of authorship and retrieval unspecified.
   • Unsupervised routine after school where kid lives with single working parent or both parents work.

   • 1995: 12% children 5-12 stayed home alone regularly; 41% of children 12-14.

   • Pederson (1998) found 8^th graders unsupervised over 10 hours/week were twice as likely to abuse drugs or alcohol as those under adult supervision. Students who spent no time in extracurricular programs were 49% more likely to have used drugs and 37% more likely to become teen parents than students spending 1-4 hours/week in extracurricular programs.

Volume #1: Section (2) on Child Abuse

1. "Facts about child abuse and assault," (3 pp.) Source and year unspecified.
   • Abuse is frequent, common at home, and by someone the child knows.

   • As abused children grow up, they become delinquents (84% report abuse or neglect) and/or run away.

   • Early intervention and prevention is needed.

   • Four types of abuse
     1. Physical abuse: non-accidental injury or physical punishment that leaves marks on the body.
     2. Neglect: Negligent or maltreatment of a child, threatening health or welfare.
     3. Emotional abuse: Excessive verbal insults, putdowns, willful cruelty. Seen in a child who acts out, or is withdrawn & depressed, or shows rigid compliance with adult instructions.
     4. Sexual abuse: signs include reluctance to be with a particular person, age-inappropriate understanding of sex, genital redness, etc.

   • Behaviors are consistent, of long duration, and pervasive.

2. "How we can fight child abuse," by Andrew Vachss. Parade Magazine (August 20, 1989).
   • "Predatory pedophiles are clever, calculating criminals."

   • We cannot prevent nor legalize pedophilia. So we much raise the stakes:
     1. Significant incarceration for offenders.
     2. The law should not differentiate incest from other sexual intercourse with children. [Apparently someone guilty of incest can get a lesser sentence. A surprise to me as I would have expected it to default to a greater sentence. Does this mean there is an 'incest lobby'?]
     3. Enhanced penalties for multi-victim offenses. Mandatory incarceration for a 2^nd offense.
     4. Increased penalties for networking.
     5. National registry of convicted child molesters. [Don't we have this yet?]
     6. Intensive probation for released child molesters.
     7. Increased federal involvement in detecting and capturing inter-state criminals.
     8. More development and support of specialized law enforcement units.
     9. New weapons, e.g. child labor laws.
     10. "Rehabilitative" experiments with predatory pedophiles to be done only in jail.

3. Effects of child abuse called serious, lasting," by Richard Emanuel, S.C. Sentinel. Year unspecified.
   • Reports Dr. Eliana Gil on 2 lessons of child abuse:
     1. The world is not a safe place.
     2. People who love you will hurt you.

   • As a result the abused self-mutilate, kids are violent to other children or animals, withdraw into fantasy.

   • Difficult to help especially if do not develop 'appropriate relationships' as adults.

4. "Today's abused child could be tomorrow's predator," by Andrew Vachss. Parade Magazine (June 3, 1990).
   • 3 examples of abused children becoming abusers or prostitutes.

   • "Criminals are made not born -- there is no biogenetic code that produces a violent rapist, a child molester, or a serial killer."

   • Family is "first line of defense against the production of dangerous criminals."

   • CPS (Child Protective Services) responds to calls for protection. "We need to treat child protective work as our first and best opportunity to prevent crime."

   • Advocates six actions ('become an informed consumer of crime-fighting services', etc) to help CPS.

5. "Who are the child abusers?" Source and year unspecified.
   • People with deprived childhoods and lacking extended families.

   • People with a disfigured or defective child.

   • People under stress or with a strong belief in corporal punishment.

   • A person who resent or rejects what the child does.

   • A recidivist (tends to repeat)

   • An escalator (increases amount and severity).

   • [Relies on hearsay. Not scientific.]

6. "Policy on abusive parents attacked," by Mike Cassidy. Mercury News. Year unspecified. (3 pp.)
   • "Child reunification" policy of California state law requires children (even if disastrously abused physically) to be reunited with a parent. Gives parents 18 month to "prove they have reformed."

   • This is to comply with federal policy to get funding for child welfare programs.

   • 26K children removed from abusive California homes in 1 year. Over 10% removed more than once.

   • Nationwide parents kill 3 children/day; hurt 1M/year.

   • Abused child 10 times more likely (than non-abused) to attack their children.

   • Abusers charged with "felony child endangerment."

   • 2000 children in foster care in Santa Clara county cost $3588-$57,144 (!) each p.a. Reunification "costs nothing."

   • Parents have views on "appropriate" whippings as discipline.

   • In Santa Cruz if you suspect child abuse, phone 454-2273.

Volume #2: Section (1) on Learning Disabilities.

1. Helping learning-disabled children," Julian Haber. Good Housekeeping, September 1989.
   • 10-15% of children in public schools have learning disabilities.

   • 1.9 M U.S. children have learning disabilities.

   • Case study: Steve failed 2^nd grade but has 120 IQ.

   • 7 areas of distorted cognitions:
     1. Oral expression: may be flagged by failure to say 3 words by 15 months, short sentences by 20-24 months.
     2. Listening comprehension.
     3. Written expression: disgraphia.
     4. Basic reading skills.
     5. Reading comprehension: dyslexia.
     6. Math calculation: discalculia.
     7. Mathematical reasoning ability.

   • ADD (attention deficit disorder) may co-occur with learning disability may be flagged by failure to sit still for a short story at 3-4 years.

   • ECI (Early Childhood Intervention) program to recognize at-risk children under 3 years old.

2. "Definitions and characteristics of hidden learning disabilities."
   • Learning Disabilities (LD). Presumed neurological dysfunction. Have average to above-average potential but difficulty processing information and achieving their potential.

   • Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Neuro-biological disorders. Difficulty with concentration, attention, organization, & memory.

   • Acquired Brain Injury (ABI). Due to accident or illness. Difficulty storing and retrieving information.

   • Psychological Disability (Psych D). Identified in Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Psychological Disorders. Includes anxiety, depression, panic, schizophrenia.

Volume #2: Section (2) on Fatherhood and Parenting.

1. "Kids of absent fathers are more at risk." Melinda Sacks, San Jose Mercury News. Date unspecified.
   • Father-absent households are almost half of all USA households; single-mother families are 94% of Aid to Families with Dependent Children cases.

   • 5.8 million children in single-parent homes in 1960; 18 million "today".

   • Before age 11, 75% of American children in a single-parent family will experience poverty; 20% in two-parent families will.

   • Fatherless children are twice as likely to drop out of school.

   • The most important things the fathers will do include nurturing, disciplining, coaching, and being a spouse.

   • Fathers lead children in play, whereas mothers let children lead.

   • Fathers tend to look at the child's future, and mothers tend to look at the present.

2. "Where's daddy?" Nancy Weaver. McClatchy News Service. No date.
   • Children living with their mothers only: 6% in 1950; 24% "last year".

   • Children growing in single-parent family:
     1. Twice as likely to drop out of school.
     2. Girls are 150% more likely to have a baby when unmarried.
     3. Boys are 50% more likely to drop out from school and have no job.
     4. Lower GPAs; lower college aspirations; poorer school attendance; 9% lower college graduation rate.

   • 19 million children in USA live in a home with no father present.

   • Problems in single-parent household are due to:
     1. Lower family income.
     2. Lack of parental supervision.

   • Father especially important to teach children to regulate and cope with their emotions.

   • 30% of all babies are now born to unmarried mothers.

   • Adjusted for inflation, median income of 25-34-year-old men has decreased by 26% since 1972.

   • Welfare often offers more financial security than marriage [no numbers, however].

3. For the child's sake, bring back the orphanages."
   • Proposes model "The Villages in Topeka, Kan. ... a married couple is paid to become the surrogate parents of a group of children, including siblings, whom they raise to adulthood."

   • Confusingly, sounds more like foster home than orphanage.

4. "How to manage your kids."
   • 21 tricks for taming children, e.g. "Spend a lot of time on the floor with the baby, seeing the world from the baby's perspective."

   • 21 tricks for taming adolescents.

   • 10 commandments for parenting.

5. "'YOU' messages versus 'I' messages."
   • "You" messages blame the listener.

   • "I" messages state a specific fact and its effect on the speaker.

6. "Schools learn to cope with crack babies."
   • 1990: 375K American children born after exposure to cocaine & other drugs in womb. About half of these "believed" to have traces of crack.

   • Drug-exposed children may soon be 50% of inner-city school population.

   • Most drug-exposed youngsters easily confused; helped by structure.

7. "'Crack babies' catch up."
   • NAPARE study: IQ scores of children born exposed to crack were same as children that lived in a similar environment but were not exposed to crack.

Volume #2: Section (3) on Genetics

1. "Are criminals made or born?"
   • Both biological and sociological factors play a role.

2. "The big thrill (biogenic thrill-seeker personalities)."
   • Type T personality: driven to perform reckless, risk-taking behavior. 25% of population. Creative influence on society. Varies route through a maze. Thrive on conflict, unstructured work environment.

   • Type t personality: driven to minimize stimulation and novelty.

   • Many criminals are type T. Imprisoned delinquent type-T's escape 7 times more than type-t's.

   • Outward Bound; Vision Quest (Phoenix) programs for hard-core type-T delinquents.

Books

Cognitive Psychology: In and Out of the Lab (2004) by Kathleen M. Galotti. Text for the college course in Cognitive Psychology. See notes on Galotti and our BLOG (web log) entry.

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