Demographics and Risk Factors

Richard was just 11 years old when he set his first fire. He claimed it was an accident and remembers finding the experience frightening but also fascinating. Richard became a prolific serial arsonist. He would later admit that arson provided him with a sense of power and sexual gratification. He also committed a wide range of other crimes, including sexual assault, auto theft, impersonating a police officer, burglary, theft, and prostitution. His preference, however, was setting fires. He simply could not resist the urge to burn down larger and larger structures. What motivates Richard to commit such dangerous crimes? What risk factors may have influenced his desire to start fires? What makes someone like Richard become a criminal? Researchers have studied questions like these for decades, yet there are still no definitive answers. However, there are biological, behavioral, developmental, and situational factors that establish correlations with criminal proclivity. Biologically, factors like overall temperament, brain chemistry problems, and hormone imbalances could be indicative of a tendency toward criminality. Certain developmental issues like cognitive ability, intelligence, language development, and self-regulation skills have also been studied for correlation. In addition, displaying behaviors like deceit, impulsiveness, and manipulation may be connected to criminal activity. Other compelling factors may germinate in social learning environments. Some offenders may believe that committing crimes results in specific outcomes and/or rewards for doing so. Some commit crimes because they are frustrated in their efforts to achieve and succeed in life. Others may commit crimes simply because of specific difficult situations in which they find themselves. For psychologists, understanding the permutations of criminality is important, but it is even more important to make determinations for treatment and predictions for future criminal behavior. Post a summary of the case you selected and your responses to the following questions: What demographics and risk factors (e.g., acute, direct, proxy, short, and long-term) are involved that may have contributed to the person becoming a victim or offender? How are the demographics and risk factors for becoming a criminal or victim related? How are they similar and/or different? How might the demographics and risk factors vary in a country other than the United States? If an individual reflects the data supporting the likelihood of becoming a criminal or victim, does that guarantee the outcome? Explain your rationale. Note: Your post should be substantial (1 paragraph or more for each bullet point above), supported with scholarly evidence from your research and/or the Learning Resources, and properly cited using APA style. CASE STUDIES FPSY 6720/8720: Abnormal Behavior Week 2 Case Studies Becoming an Offender Case 1 Craig was raised without a father, but his mother, Donna, a strong Christian woman, always loved her son. Because Donna was a single parent, Craig was often left with babysitters while she worked two jobs or was involved in her prison ministry. When the babysitter could not be there on some days, Donna’s neighbor Steve, who worked from home, would take him and not charge her. Donna was always grateful for the extra help and in return baked bread and pies for Steve. What Donna did not know, of course, was that Steve was molesting and raping Craig, who was 6 years old. Craig could not tell his mother of his terror of going to Steve’s house because Steve warned him that if he ever told anyone, Steve would kill the puppy that was living in his home. Little Craig loved that puppy, so he never told. At age 11, Craig began setting fires that escalated over the years. At age 13, he was raped by a 26-year-old male. Craig engaged in other crimes, including stealing a police car at age 15, impersonating a police officer, sexually assaulting a 12-year-old boy, prostitution, theft, and burglary. He took trophies from his favorite fire crimes by going to the crime scenes at night looking for anything he could add to his collection. Eventually, he was apprehended and confessed to the fires and went to prison for several years. He is now back on the streets and has had considerable difficulty keeping jobs for more than a few months. Craig is determined not to return to prison. He currently resides with his aging mother. Case 2 Enzo was considered to be a gifted child raised in relative poverty by a loving mother and an absentee father who sometimes paid him visits when he was little. He also remembers visiting his dad in jail. Enzo performed well in school but remembers having to fight off bullies. He was teased because he liked playing musical instruments. His neighborhood was controlled by gangs, and his older brother joined one, telling Enzo that if he wanted to be cool, then he, too, could join his gang when he was old enough. As Enzo grew into his teen years, he knew that survival meant being part of a gang. By then, he had smoked marijuana a few times with his brother and hung out with him and other gang members. Enzo believed that by having a gang affiliation, he would be respected and feared by others, even though he had no desire to harm anyone. The night he was initiated into the gang (jumped), he was told there would be a test of his loyalty. He was to carry out a drive-by shooting on a rival gang. The next week, Enzo drove by a residence and fired his weapon into the house. One rival gang member was wounded, and a 6-year-old girl was shot and killed by Enzo’s bullets. He was eventually caught and now sits on California’s death row. © 2022 Walden University, LLC. Page 2 of 2 Becoming a Victim Case 1 Sally was determined to not become a victim of crime. She lived in a safe neighborhood, did not talk to strangers, kept her doors locked at all times, and parked her car in a safe location when she went shopping. Widowed at age 50, Sally had a good job and was financially secure. Although she lived alone, her children came to visit, and she also belonged to a local singles group at her church. She was relatively happy, but Sally was lonely at times. She started looking online for dating organizations to see if there were men her age who would be compatible. Then Sally met Harry, who seemed like a nice man. He, too, had taken to the internet after his wife had left, and he wanted companionship and maybe even romance. They emailed each day for 2 weeks and sent pictures. She finally got brave and called Harry. He was charming, kind, and articulate. She quickly realized that Harry had much in common with her. He really wanted to come and visit, but he was still reeling from the divorce and had no money to fly across the country. He was trying to fix up the car his wife had left behind, but it needed some repair work. Harry asked Sally if she could loan him the money for a few weeks until he paid off his final divorce costs. Sally offered to cover his car repair expenses so they could meet in person and sent Harry a check for $3,000. Harry immediately cashed the check and never contacted Sally again. Case 2 Some men who are sexual predators like the thrill of preying upon women in public places. Large grocery stores are a good example. Women learn a variety of self- protection behaviors when in public, including keeping their purse in sight at all times and not talking to strangers. So where in a large grocery store might a woman be at risk of sexual victimization? Checkout counter? Frozen foods section? Magazine section? Canned food section? Greeting card section? Of course, sexual assault could occur anywhere, but predators have preferences. If you picked the greeting card section, you are correct. Why? Because women are the primary buyers of greeting cards and will read every word on each, trying to find just the right meaning. Some become completely oblivious to their surroundings for several moments, which is exactly what a sexual predator wants—distraction.