Table Of ContentCriminal Behavior
Second Edition
Criminal Behavior
Second Edition
Elaine Cassel
Lord Fairfax Community College
Douglas A. Bernstein
University of South Florida
University of Southampton, UK
LAWRENCE ERLBAUM ASSOCIATES, PUBLISHERS
2007 Mahwah, New Jersey London
Pearson Education, Inc. previously published this work
Copyright © 2007 by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by photostat, microform,
retrieval system, or any other means, without prior written permission of the publisher.
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., Publishers
10 Industrial Avenue
Mahwah, New Jersey 07430
www.erlbaum.com
Cover design by Tomai Maridou
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Cassel, Elaine.
Criminal behavior / Elaine Cassel, Douglas A. Bernstein. — 2nd ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-8058-4892-4 (cloth : alk. paper) 1. Criminal behavior—United
States. 2. Criminal psychology—United States. 3. Criminal justice,
Administration of—United States. 4. Juvenile justice, Administration
of—United States. I. Bernstein, Douglas A. II. Title.
HV6105.C37 2006
364.3—dc22 2006011746
To my students, teachers, and clients, who have taught me about
psychology and the law—EC
To my sister, Ann Bernstein Harris—DB
Table of Contents
Preface xi
About the Authors xiii
1
What Is Crime? 1
Crime as a Legal Concept 2
The Sociology of Crime 4
The Politics of Crime 6
The Morality of Crime 8
The Classification of Crimes 8
The Statistics of Crime 9
Methods for Studying Criminal Behavior 11
Criminals and Criminal Behavior 12
Summary 13
Key Terms 14
Questions for Review 14
Track It Down 14
2
The Criminal Justice System 15
Overview of the Criminal Justice System 15
Dealing With Special Defendants 19
Law Enforcement Officers 26
Prosecutors 28
Defense Attorneys 29
Juries 30
Judges 36
Summary 37
Key Terms 37
Questions for Review 37
Track It Down 38
3
The Juvenile Justice System 39
The Juvenile Justice Process 41
The Psycho-Legal Status of Juvenile Offenders 43
Juvenile Justice Applied: The Case of Ronald 45
The Future of Juvenile Justice 47
Summary 53
vii
viii Contents
Key Terms 53
Questions for Review 53
Track It Down 54
4
Biological Roots of Crime 55
Physical Appearance and Crime 55
Evolution and Crime 57
Genes and Crime 58
Crime and the Brain 62
Hormones and Crime 68
Alcohol, Drugs, and Crime 69
Summary 74
Key Terms 74
Questions for Review 75
Track It Down 75
5
Psychological Roots of Crime 77
Personality and Crime 77
Traits and Crime 78
Psychodynamics and Crime 80
Learning and Crime 85
Cognition and Crime 88
Personality Disorders and Crime 92
Summary 95
Key Terms 97
Questions for Review 97
Track It Down 97
6
Social and Environmental Roots of Crime 99
Social Origins of Human Aggression and Violence 100
Social Cognition, Social Behavior, and Crime 106
The Environmental Roots of Crime 111
The Ecology of Crime 117
Summary 124
Key Terms 124
Questions for Review 125
Track It Down 125
7
The Development of Crime From Early Childhood to Adolescence 127
Pathways to Crime 129
Biological Influences on the Development of Criminal Behavior 130
Developmental Disorders and Crime 135
Learning to Be—or Not to Be—a Criminal 139
Family Influences on Criminal Behavior 141
Putting It All in Perspective 148
Summary 148
Contents ix
Key Terms 149
Questions for Review 149
Track It Down 149
8
The Development of Crime From Adolescence to Adulthood 151
Adolescence: Challenges and Risks 152
Choosing Crime: Moral Development and Social Influence 153
Gender Differences in the Development of Criminal Behavior 154
Conduct Disorder and the Development of Criminal Behavior 156
Substance Abuse and the Development of Criminal Behavior 156
Gangs, Guns, and the Development of Criminal Behavior 159
Declining Family Influence and Criminal Behavior 165
School Failure and the Development of Criminal Behavior 165
Pathways to Adult Crime 167
Summary 168
Key Terms 169
Questions for Review 169
Track It Down 170
9
Mental Disorders and Crime 171
What Is Mental Disorder? 172
Specific Mental Disorders and Crime 173
Diagnostic Foundations for an Insanity Plea 178
Factors Contributing to Criminal Behavior Among the Mentally Ill 180
Mental Health Courts 184
Summary 185
Key Terms 185
Questions for Review 185
Track It Down 186
10
Violent Crimes 187
Robbery 187
Murder and Nonnegligent Manslaughter 189
Aggravated Assault and Domestic Violence 196
Hate Crimes 200
Sex Crimes 204
Summary 210
Key Terms 211
Questions for Review 211
Track It Down 212
11
Economic and Property Crimes 213
Arson 213
Burglary, Larceny, and Auto Theft 216
Fraud 219
Occupational Crime 221
