Criminal psychology: concepts and applications

¶ … Criminal Psychology

What are the advantages and disadvantages of the early identification of children whose behavioral symptoms have been associated with habitual offending?

The most obvious advantage of identifying children with behavioral symptoms associated with habitual offending is that it provides the opportunity for intervention as early as possible. Early intervention is likely to be one of the most important and effective approaches to addressing behavioral issues known to correspond to habitual offenses and to much more serious issues than those that first become apparent in children.

The most obvious disadvantage of identifying children with behavioral symptoms associated with habitual offending is that it also opens the door to possible stigmatization. Even when the initial assessments are accurate, educators and counselors must balance the benefits of early intervention with the negative consequences of stigmatization. Naturally, anytime the early intervention assessments are inaccurate, that negative potential is even greater and without any corresponding benefits.

The most useful approach might be to focus on identifying potentially significant issues in relation to behaviors in children that psychologists consider precursors to adult offenses, but without assigning labels or even advising parent of the connection. There is no advantage to labeling and this approach would not interfere with the targeted intervention of behavioral issues. Once the issue and problems associated with negative labeling are eliminated, behavioral intervention is always most likely to achieve its objectives when it is implemented earlier rather than later.

Should we be attaching labels such as psychopath or delinquent to children? Are some of these behaviors such a natural result of growing up and/or developing an autonomous personality?

We should always minimize the use of labels, precisely because they can have such negative consequences that are counterproductive to the ultimate goal of intervention. The more potentially damaging the particular label is the more it should be avoided. In that regard, the label "psychopath" has extremely negative connotations. It also describes a very serious diagnosis that relates substantially to issues that are completely outside of the ability of the individual to control.

The term "delinquent" is less damaging because it describes patterns of behavior that are, at least to a great degree, completely under the control of the individual. Nevertheless, once a child or adolescent is labeled as being delinquent, that label can become an identifying feature to the individual as well as to others. In both cases, that label can make intervention more difficult instead of less difficult. Certainly, some types of behavioral issues are functions of immaturity or of stages of development and personality or identity experimentation. However, bona fide delinquency issues should not be excused as features of personality, largely because doing so undermines the development of personal responsibility and the realization that negative behaviors have negative consequences.

Which represents the greatest threat to society: multiple murder, workplace violence, or violent bias crimes?

It is difficult to compare the three types of crimes by listing them in order because so much depends on context. For example, violent bias crimes could include multiple murders. In general, multiple murders are relatively rare outside of environments where criminality is already at issue, such as in connection with organize crime and criminal gang rivalries. Workplace violence is comparatively rare when it comes to serious crimes such as murder but much more common if one considers other lesser forms of violence such as physical intimidation of individual workers by others. Bias crimes are extremely serious to the quality of society, especially if they are not strictly and appropriately addressed by the authorities. Where bias crimes involve violence, they can completely undermine the fabric of a civilized democratic society and incite widespread violence. Therefore, I would consider violent bias crimes to be the most serious of the three choices in many circumstances and contexts.