Juvinille delenquency

Criminal Justice - Juvenile Delinquency

CRIMINAL JUSTICE: JUEVENILE DELINQUENCY

Theories of Behavior:

It appears that the theoretical frameworks of behaviorism and cognitive psychology will be most applicable to the subject. Most likely, a thorough retrospective analysis will be required into the specific significance of the multiple instances of different types of abuse and neglect that influenced the subject's psychological development. The cognitive perspective will identify the links between deviant behavioral manifestations and the psychosocial mechanisms responsible for them so that they may be addressed in counseling and therapy, toward the goal of reducing their future effect on the subject's behavior. While there is evidence of a genetic basis for addictive behavior in general and alcoholism in particular (Macionis 2002), the biological perspective is not likely to play a significant role, primarily because the issue of alcoholism must be addressed the same way regardless of what degree it reflects an inherited tendency.

Case Summary: The subject is a 15-year-old male with a history of prolonged sexual abuse perpetrated against him from the age of 6 until 12, by his mother with whom he no longer has any contact. The subject's father is alcoholic and physically abusive as well. The subject has a consistent history of violent criminal offences including physically assaulting a female classmate at the age of 11 and assaulting a teacher with a blunt force weapon at the age of 12. The subject has also demonstrated a tendency toward self mutilation.

His current offense is First Degree Rape in connection with his role in the sexual assault of a 14-year-old female raped at knifepoint by a group of five juveniles including the subject. The subject has already completed two years of court-imposed probation, 50 hours of community service, a 10-day school suspension, and ongoing monthly counseling in connection with his earlier offenses but without any apparent benefit. Theoretical Analysis:

The subject's family background, social relationships, and history of victimization meet the classical profile of influences long-associated (Innes 2007) with increased statistical likelihood of criminally violent offenders. Several details of his troubled history suggest very specific connections to certain elements of his violent behavior, as well as the fact that all of his offenses on record have been directed at female victims.

The subject was extensively sexually abused by his mother for six years, which on its own, accounts for tremendous psychosexual confusion, rage, and repressed feelings of toxic shame, low self-esteem, and worthlessness (Gerrig & Zimbardo 2005), and which probably account for the internalized anger manifesting itself in self mutilation. In part, the fact that the subject was sexually victimized by his mother also suggests a plausible reason that his violent offenses have, thus far, been directed exclusively at female victims. While the subject's rationale for blaming his most recent victim for dressing provocatively may reflect "normal" (Macionis 2002) social conditioning (particularly among adolescent males), his complete lack of empathy (as distinct from responsibility or fault) is more consistent with pathological indifference and lack of empathy often observed in serial rapists and other sociopaths who display a clinical indifference to their victims (Gerrig & Zimbardo 2005).

Subsequent analysis will distinguish whether the subject's relative immature statements about the connection between video game violence and the real world are the result of low intelligence and delayed cognitive skills in the area of logical reasoning and responsibility or functions of repressed rage directed at all females.

Intervention Strategy:

viable intervention strategy must emphasize intensive psychological counseling to address the subject's past sexual victimization, the rage associated with it, and the direction of his anger at all females. Behavioral psychotherapy will be necessary to resolve these deep-rooted issues to whatever extent resolution is possible, and cognitive evaluation will help determine the primary source of the subject's current lack of empathy. To the extent it relates to "normal" socialization and repressed anger toward the subject's mother, it may be reversible, at least in part, through intensive psychological therapy. However, to the extent it relates to impaired intelligence and/or reasoning abilities, counseling is less likely to achieve substantial benefits.