WK 9 Writing Assignment

Criminal Statistics and Behavior

Some of the most misunderstood crimes are those which have a psychological basis, including crimes committed by persons with mental disorders, sexual offences; violent offences; and domestic violence (Bartol & Bartol 2007). When attempting to deal with the causes of these crimes, it is essential that law enforcement personnel have a thorough understanding of why they occur and the general demographic characteristics associated with their perpetrators.

First of all, it is important to remember that not all persons with mental disorders are criminals. In general, "however narrowly defined, mentally disordered offenders (MDOs) are heterogeneous in demographics, diagnoses, offense characteristics, risk, and clinical needs" (Rice et al. 1997). Mental illness knows no race, color, creed, or class. Most persons with mental disorders, like most persons in general, are not violent, even though mental disorders can be contributing factors to criminality. Nor are all crimes committed by persons with mental illness necessarily violent, despite the much-publicized nature of several recent shootings in the press. Substance abuse is associated with the highest rates of criminality, while schizophrenia, affective disorder, and personality disorders are associated with the lowest risks, although it has also been found that persons with mental disorders have a higher risk of criminal behavior in countries with deinstitutionalized mental health services (Hodgins & Muller-Isberner 2000: 206;12).

Similarly, there is no agreed-upon 'sex offender' profile, "despite attempts to identify a finite and specific set of characteristics that fits for all sex offenders" (Rice et al. 1997). General characteristics of sexual offenders encompass such traits as deviant sexual arousal, lacking empathy for the victim, cognitive distortions, and intimacy deficits when interacting with persons of their own age. "The literature does not support the notion that all sex offenders have been sexually abused. Some have been, and some have not" (Section 3, n.d., CSOM). The one consistent factor regarding sexual offenders is that they are far more likely to be male than female. With sexual criminals, it must be noted that it is uncertain if all figures tabulated about sexual crimes are accurate, given that sexual crimes have been historically underreported, in comparison to other criminal activities.

There is another complicating factor in creating a specific 'profile' of an offender, namely the very flexible definition of what constitutes a sexual offense. Estimates of the rates of sexual offenses run as low as 2% to 56%. Also, certain contexts may create environments in which persons commit sexual assaults more frequently than others, such as parties with heavy drinking in college. "Approximately 27.5% of college women reported experiences that met the legal criteria for rape," even though some of them were not necessarily aware that the actions to which they were subjected satisfied such a definition (Rape and sexual violence, 2013, NIJ).