NCJ Number
53454
Editor(s)
L OTTEN
Date Published
1978
Length
197 pages
Annotation
THIS ANTHOLOGY OF PAPERS BY CRIMINAL JUSTICE EXPERTS, SOCIOLOGISTS, AND PSYCHOLOGISTS CONCERNING CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR DETERMINANTS CONSIDERS PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL FACTORS, DRUG AND ALCOHOL USE, AND BIOSOCIAL INFLUENCES.
Abstract
THE FIRST GROUP OF PAPERS DISCUSSES STUDIES WHICH INDICATE AN APPARENT SMALL GENETIC CONTRIBUTION TO THE ETIOLOGY OF CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR AND A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NERVOUS SYSTEMS IN CRIMINALS AND NONCRIMINALS THAT COULD HELP PREDICT DEVIANT BEHAVIOR, THE NEED FOR STRINGENTLY DEFINING THE PERSONALITY TYPE 'PSYCHOPATH' FOR DESCRIBING PERSONS WHO HAVE COMMON BIOLOGICAL TRAITS SUCH AS A SLOWER SKIN-CONDUCTANCE-RESPONSE RECOVERY, AND A GENERAL MODEL OF AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR CONSISTING OF SPECIAL NEURAL MECHANISMS WHICH CAN RESULT IN AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR WHEN FIRED IN THE PRESENCE OF A RELEVANT TARGET. A TWO-DIMENSIONAL CLASSIFICATION OF CRIMINALS IS ALSO PRESENTED; IT IS BASED ON A DYSCONTROL SCALE AND ELECTROCARDIOGRAM ABNORMALITIES PRODUCING EPILEPTOIDS, HYSTEROIDS, INADEQUATE PSYCHOPATHS, AND PURE PSYCHOPATHS. PAPERS ON DRUG AND ALCOHOL CONSIDER THE PROCESS OF DRUG USE AND CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR AS A MEANS OF SELF-EXPRESSION, THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DRUG AND ALCOHOL USE AND DELINQUENT BEHAVIOR AS THESE FACTORS RELATE TO LOW EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT, AND DEVIANT BEHAVIOR AMONG VETERANS AND ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION. THE FINAL SECTION FOCUSES ON BIOSOCIAL DETERMINANTS. A DISCUSSION ON THE PHYSIOLOGICAL AND BEHAVIORAL EFFECTS OF PRISON ENVIRONMENTS CONSIDERS EFFECTS OF CROWDING ON BLOOD PRESSURE OF ANIMALS AND HUMANS. RESEARCH ON CONFLICT-MOTIVATED CRIME IN FAMILIES IS REVIEWED, AND THE EFFECTS OF SENSORY DEPRIVATION ON ANIMAL AND HUMAN BEHAVIOR ARE OUTLINED TO SUPPORT A THEORY OF ISOLATION-AGGRESSION. TABULAR DATA AND TOPIC DISCUSSION ARE PROVIDED.