PROF MAURICE Module 4 Assignment 2 Draft of Final Project

PROF MAURICE Module 4 Assignment 2 Draft of Final Project
Running head: CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR IN YOUR COMMUNITY 0 Criminal Behavior in Your Community Sherry L. Crowe Dr. Robert Meyer Psychology of Criminal Behavior FP6015 June 7, 2017 Homicide falls under the broader category of violent crimes according to the FBI. According to the bureau, there was a surge in this type of offenses by 5.3% in the year 2016 that were reported. Data from the UCR program provides finer details that provides demographic information about the perpetrators making it possible to narrow down the type of personality who engage in this form of crime. Statistics from the UCR program shows the number of male perpetrators as 2015 was about 9,553 representing 89% of homicide offenders. Women implicated in homicide offenses were about 1,180. These figures indicate the most likely homicide perpetrators are men (UCR, 2015). The newly released report by the FBI revealed African Americans were the mostly likely offenders. During the year about 5,620 African Americans were charged with homicide related cases whereas the number of whites was 4, 636. Black Americans who were involved in homicide were about 53% whereas whites were estimated to be 44% with the rest of the offenders emerging from other races. Evidently, the chances of a murder perpetrator being an African American is high compared to a White offender. Shockingly, most of the offenders were youths aged between 20-24 years. It turns out that 2,448 of them were involved in murder cases in the year depicting a scenario where young people are willing to murder for different reasons. Offenders aged between 1 to 12 years were only 11, representing the largest age group that least committed murder offenses. Although data from the FBI does not provide socio-economic status on the offenders, numerous pieces of empirical evidence point out homicide rate is prevalent among individuals with low income (UCR, 2015). The civil and criminal legal systems share some similarities in terms of burden of persuasion, penalties, and key players. In criminal justice penalties are imposed once a suspect is found guilty. A criminal could face probation, imprisonment and restitution among other punishments. On the hand, an offender in a civil system is entitled to pay monetary damages in case found guilty. The “beyond a reasonable of doubt” standard is applied when prosecuting a criminal. This differs with civil cases which rely on “preponderance of evidence” which is the standard applicable in civil cases. The civil system bases its ruling on the weight of evidence provided (Slapper & Kelly, 2004). Various theories have been developed to try to explain factors that influence offenders to commit homicide. Most of the psychological theories of homicide fall under the environmental theories of homicide. Some of the theories that fall under this category include: socialization, control and social structural theories. According to the socialization theory, men’s aggressive and go-getter tendencies drives them to attain set objectives (Stirrat et al., 2012). They are seen more aggressive than their female counterparts. The gender differences between the two groups have been used to justify the reason why most homicide offenders are women (Stirrat et al., 2012). The socialization theory has been widely embraced in academic and professional circles but relying solely on the concept to justify homicide patterns could lead to erratic conclusions. According to a journal published by the Oxford University, drug abuse is one of the leading causes of homicide. The publication strongly linked loss of physiologic tolerance to substance abuse. Data collected during the study suggests ex-convicts were 8 times likely to commit homicide two weeks after their release. Additionally, elevated cases were reported in ex-convicts who used drugs. Prisoners tend to be lured to drugs as a way of surviving jails conditions. Most of them end up being drug addicts which influences their reasoning negatively. The findings of the study are like what other researchers have found (Lim et al., 2012). There is a high possibility of homicide among former prisoners because of the violet environment they are exposed to while serving their sentence. Such environments psychologically affect them and shape their character which they end up embracing once out of prison. Most of them end up suffering life-long trauma and are unable to recover despite the rehabilitation measures that have been put in place. This theory is grounded on the social ecological concept (Lim et al., 2012). Perhaps the social structure theory best describes why a man would murder another. Its perspective is based on the premise that social problems such as education and poverty are the root causes of homicide. Although studies have not systematically evaluated the concept of social structure and homicide, bits of empirical evidences have managed to fit the jigsaw. Eck & Weisburd (2015) suggests that they are unsure whether social structures influence an individual to commit murder. Lack of education could be a significant factor that could lure teenagers into criminal activities. Numerous research work has indicated teenagers who drop out of school end up joining criminal gangs where they engage in various forms of crime (Liem, 2013). These teenagers are influenced to live the kind of lifestyle adopted by iconic figures in the society at the expense of killing other people. They would want to achieve the self-actualization hierarchy of needs. This is where they live an extravagant lifestyle. They would to feel contended and having accomplished in life what needs to be achieved; success and financial freedom. This traps them to criminal activities. In addition, poverty is a push factor to crime (Norström, 2011). Individuals who cannot meet the basic desires are lured to crime to find a means of satisfying their basic needs. They end up engaging in criminal activities to survive and in the process, join assassin’s squads. Deprivation of basic needs is one of the reasons why people commit murder. The criminal legal system is component of law. The system is concerned with intentional injury to other parties. Once a crime is committed, law enforcement units must search for evidence which is used in a court of law. This evidence is used in court to determine whether the accused offender will be acquitted or convicted. It must be done “beyond reasonable doubt”. Penalties are imposed once a suspect is found guilty. Also, they could face probation, imprisonment and restitution among other punishments. On the other hand, civil systems are concerned with different entities. A party that is found guilty of wronging another is entitled to pay monetary damages in case found guilty. However, this system differs from the criminal system in that it applies “preponderance of evidence” to make a ruling. The criminal’s system seeks to rectify the character of an offender whereas the civil system seeks to ensure an aggrieved party is compensated. On the hand, both examine the evidence provided in court against what the law stipulates. Besides, the two must be determined by a team of competent practitioners. Lastly, if the law has been violated judgment must be made in court irrespective of whether it was criminal or civil (Slapper & Kelly, 2004). References Eck, J. E., & Weisburd, D. L. (2015). Crime places in crime theory. Liem, M. (2013). Homicide offender recidivism: A review of the literature. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 18(1), 19-25. Lim, S., Seligson, A. L., Parvez, F. M., Luther, C. W., Mavinkurve, M. P., Binswanger, I. A., & Kerker, B. D. (2012). Risks of drug-related death, suicide, and homicide during the immediate post-release period among people released from New York City jails, 2001– 2005. American journal of epidemiology, 175(6), 519-526. Norström, T. (2011). Alcohol and homicide in the United States: is the link dependent on wetness? Drug and alcohol review, 30(5), 458-465. Slapper, G. & Kelly, D. (2004). The English legal system. London Portland, Or: Cavendish. Stirrat, M., Stulp, G., & Pollet, T. V. (2012). Male facial width is associated with death by contact violence: narrow-faced males are more likely to die from contact violence. Evolution and Human Behavior, 33(5), 551-556. UCR. Crime in the United States. https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2015/crime-in-the-u.s.- 2015/offenses-known-to-law-enforcement/violent-crime/violentcrimemain_final
PROF MAURICE Module 4 Assignment 2 Draft of Final Project
Assignment 2: Draft of Final Project In this assignment, you will build upon the assignment completed in M1 Assignment 3. This assignment is a 5- to 7-page draft of your final project, which is due in Module 5. You will want to start developing some of the key components of that paper. You will need to further refine, add content to, and polish this draft in order for it to meet the final requirements in Module 5, which is a 10- to 15-page final draft. This draft will need to be in APA format, which includes a title page and a reference page; however, no abstract is needed. On the reference page, please include a list of the ten sources you plan to use in the final draft, although you may not need to use all of them for this draft. For this assignment, you will need to include a brief summary of what you will elaborate on in the final draft and: Describe your selected criminal behavior. Discuss the etiology theories discussed in Module 2 as they pertain to your selected criminal behavior. Describe relevant prevention, intervention, and treatment specific to your criminal behavior. List at least ten scholarly sources on your reference page that you plan to utilize in your final draft. Submission Details: By Wednesday, June 14, 2017, save your report as M4_A2_Lastname_Firstname.doc and submit it to the M4 Assignment 2 Dropbox. Assignment 2 Grading Criteria Maximum Points Submitted a logically drafted report, including the following components: Description of criminal behavior Discussion of etiology theories Discussion of prevention, intervention, and treatment implications Ten scholarly sources 88 Wrote in a clear, concise, and organized manner; demonstrated ethical scholarship in accurate representation and attribution of sources; and displayed accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation. 12 Total: 100
PROF MAURICE Module 4 Assignment 2 Draft of Final Project
Running head: IDENTIFYING AND GATHERING RELEVANT DATA 0 Identifying and Gathering Relevant Data Sherry L. Crowe Dr. Robert Meyer Psychology of Criminal Behavior FP6015 May 24, 2017 Homicide is the killing of human beings by another person. Murder and manslaughter are both forms of execution. The death inflicted by a person taking another person’s life regardless of the intention of the action is a criminal offence. Homicide is a crime according to United States Laws, as is many other states globally. Justified self-defense is not categorized as a crime. Similarly, there are other forms of murder including euthanasia, killing during war, and capital punishment of a person (Smith, 2013). Homicide can be categorized into criminal and non-criminal. Criminal homicide is like murder or manslaughter; this is when there is killing by intention and without any danger being imposed on the murderer (Reid, 2016). Non-criminal includes capital punishment of a convicted person and euthanasia in respective jurisdictions. This involves the arms of government who are mandated to protect the nation, and in that event, they can kill to eliminate the public threat. Actions like terrorism and international security threat can fall under excused homicide in the aim of protecting the people and reducing the risk. Insanity poses another accepted justification of killing, and induced killing in aid of self-defense and the others security is among the noncriminal homicide (Eriksson, 2013). Many aspects contribute and accelerate the rate of homicide, the poverty of people and poor social status can lead to people into stress and committing crimes that are either criminal or non-criminal (Riedel, 2015). The socio-economic situation of people influences the rate of homicide in the society. The less privileged individuals in the community are the most affected in the sense that they undergo a lot of mental and physical stress in satisfying their needs and livelihood. The most affected group in the society is the youth; youth more often are perpetrators of the crime. Extreme lifestyle cases and peer pressure has played a key role in the determination of the criminal activities that are experienced in the society today. Societal achievement and different opportunities available in the lifestyle arena engages the young people’s minds in a negative way to an extent they make the un-informed decision due to rushing to find solutions. According to the FBI, the rate of crime in the US increased by 3.9 percent in 2015 an increase from the previous year. The criminal cases have escalated because of the rate at which societal influence has impacted on the people with the rise of technology and lifestyle change (Cramer, 2016). Social and human rights education must be addressed to the public, and thus the relevant government must ensure that they engage the appropriate authorities in the exercising of the human rights and thereby reduction of crime in the society (Matejkowski, 2014). Consequently, the criminal gangs must be eliminated from the society to reduce the criminality in the community. There should be a well-defined curriculum in schools on behavior change to mentor good citizens in the society who respect law and order. Community policing and real collaboration with the law enforcers is also another aspect that must be enhanced to eliminate vice in the society. Transparency and fairness must be employed when solving the criminal cases. This will ensure that only the legal liable persons are convicted of the crimes that they committed and not innocent people. The courts must be fair and transparent to the extent of the truth and impose the penalty to be taken by the convicts. In San Diego County, there was a “total of 5,409 Part 1 violent crimes which include homicide, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. Between January and June of 2016 there was an average of 30 per day and about one more per day than the first half of 2015 (Burke, 2015).” In the state of California, the homicide reported in 2015 was 1,861 which was an increase of 164 from 2014. That is a twenty-five point one decrease from the 2,483 reports in 2006 (Harris, 2015). References Burke, C., Ph.D. (2016). Crime in the San Diego Region Mid-Year 2016 Statistics. Criminal Justice Research Division, SANDAG, 3-18. Retrieved May 31, 2017, from http://www.delmar.ca.us/DocumentCenter/View/2490 Cramer, C. E. (2016). Why the FBI’s Justifiable Homicide Statistics Are a Misleading Measure of Defensive Gun Use. U. Fla. JL & Pub. Pol’y, 27, 505. Eriksson, L., & Mazerolle, P. (2013). A general strain theory of intimate partner homicide. Aggression and violent behavior, 18(5), 462-470. Harris, K. D. (2015). California Homicide Statistics for 2015. Retrieved May 31, 2017, from https://oag.ca.gov/sites/all/files/agweb/pdfs/cjsc/publications/homicide/hm15/hm15.pdf? Matejkowski, J., Fairfax-Columbo, J., Cullen, S. W., Marcus, S. C., & Solomon, P. L. (2014). Exploring the potential of stricter gun restrictions for people with serious mental illness to reduce homicide in the United States. The Journal of Forensic Psychiatry & Psychology, 25(3), 362-369. Reid, S. (2016). Compulsive criminal homicide: A new nosology for serial murder. Aggression and Violent Behavior. Riedel, M., & Welsh, W. N. (2015). Criminal violence: Patterns, causes, and prevention. OUP Us. Smith, E. L., & Cooper, A. (2013). Homicide in the US known to law enforcement, 2011. Washington, DC: US Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics.
PROF MAURICE Module 4 Assignment 2 Draft of Final Project
Running head: CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR 0 Criminal Behavior Sherry L. Crowe Dr. Robert Meyer Psychology of Criminal Behavior FP6015 May 24, 2017 The criminal behavior that I have chosen for this is homicide. Homicide is death caused by one person taking the life of another person notwithstanding the intention of their action. Homicide is a broad term used to describe various categories of killings with murder and manslaughter being the most prevalent. Others include; euthanasia, war killings, and capital punishment. Homicide is further subdivided into criminal and non-criminal types depending on the context and laws of a particular jurisdiction (Geberth, 2013). Thereby causing some homicide behaviors to be accepted in society even by the legal system, while others will be shunned and attract huge ethical and legal sanctioning. The legally accepted homicide includes; euthanasia in jurisdictions that accept it and capital punishment. On the other hand, one may be convicted of manslaughter homicide with or without the intent of killing as long as their action harms another person to an extent of causing death. Manslaughter may also be a result of voluntary action based on passion from emotions that blur an individual’s judgment abilities leading them to kill. In accidents, the death must occur within the first year of neglect behavior. There are situations that call for excusable homicide. This may include killing of others by authorized persons such as law enforcement agencies in the aim of protecting a nation from its enemies. Thus, the law enforcement agencies in the country may be ordered to kill. Other situations that may call for actions involving killing may be during the prevention of crime where police officers may be forced to use deadly force to be able to protect the lives and liberties of other citizens from the harm and potential harm. Another legally accepted justification is insanity, intoxication or necessity including self-defense and that of others. Whereas homicide is a crime committed across all social; classes, it has been found to be prevalent with poverty and other social factors such as stress. Thus, the area of focus here is the low socio-economic class that has to be underprivileged with the means to take care of their needs. Homicide affects all people in society. However, the group of focus is the youth in society who may be pushed into committing homicide in the quest to provide for their needs (Singh, et.al, 2013). In a society that fosters unequal competition and contentions towards success in wealth and power, some youth who find role models in celebrities may be compelled into finding a means to reach their target. Homicide and especially criminal homicide occurs in society and needs to be addressed by the society in general. This calls for awareness creation campaigns among communities and groups on homicide. Similarly, civilians need to collaborate with law enforcement agencies by reporting early signs of homicide within the community and evidence when called upon to give their testimonies. When called upon to act on a case, the police should be ready to handle the situation promptly. Having identified the major casualty as being poverty, it is necessary to initiate programs that empower youths with job skills and enhance their talents (Stansfield, Williams & Parker, 2017). Thus, it becomes a way of helping them achieve their goals in the right way. Besides, it is necessary to empower the group with life skills that will; enable them to be confident while handling crisis situations and these that provoke emotions. It may also involve learning relation techniques to help them in making rational decisions. With the elimination of poverty and awareness creation in society, there is a high likelihood of the reduction of homicides. Further, a collaboration between the police and civilians as a means of helping to reduce homicide that has proven to work. References Geberth, V. J. (2013). Practical homicide investigation checklist and field Guide. cRc Press. Singh, G. K., Azuine, R. E., Siahpush, M., & Kogan, M. D. (2013). All-cause and cause-specific mortality among US youth: socioeconomic and rural–urban disparities and international patterns. Journal of Urban Health, 90(3), 388-405. Stansfield, R., Williams, K. R., & Parker, K. F. (2017). Economic Disadvantage and Homicide: Estimating Temporal Trends in Adolescence and Adulthood. Homicide Studies, 21(1), 59-81.