CRIMINOLOGICAL
PSYCHOLOGY
___
Notes
Inter disciplines of psych., criminology + crim. justice
Studies offenders & offending bhv to improve investigation of crime by adding psych.
component
Crim. justice processes: identification & judgement, treatment programmes in community /
prisons to rehabilitate crim. + prevent recidivism
Investigate accuracy of eyewitness testimony & courtroom procedures
Bio expl.
BRAIN INJURY
Traumatic : directly as result of trauma on brain
Eg. accident, falls, illness (stroke/tumour)
Alcohol has toxic effect on CNS and interferes with absorption of vitamin B1 = impair balance +
decision-making = increase in fails / accidents injuring brain
Consequences dependent on area of brain injured
Personality / bhv untypical of person pre-trauma
Pre-frontal cortex most at risk from TBI (assess risk & determine appropriate (emotional)
response)
Damage PFC: aggr. response to “threat” = assault, social disorder offences
At young age: inability to learn appropriate social bhv & interpret bhv
,Supporting evidence
Williams et al. (2010): 60% 196 prisoners had traumatic brain injury due to falling, car
accidents, sports activities.
- Younger at entry into prison systems
- Higher rates of repeat offending
Injuries affect development of temperament, temperance (abstinence from drinking), social
judgement, control impulses
Greater risk-taking bhv =mL antisocial activity & criminality
Challenging evidence
Kreutzer et al. (1991): unable to prove / disprove cause-and-effect btw traumatic BI &
violence
20% of 74 patients arrested pre-injury , 10% post-injury
Most arrests after alcohol use / drugs
Criminal bhv result of post-injury changes eg. poor judgement
Substance abuse, TBI & crime interconnected but can’t say caused violence
Substance abuse most common in -35yrs old →legal difficulties & TBI
Without substance use history, TBI was not risk factor for criminal bhv
Other explanations
Other comorbid conditions = complex which contributes to offending bhv (multitude of factors)
Eg. substance misuse, pre-existing personality disorders, exposed to early violence
Usefulness
Scanning techniques =more info to support nature side of crim. bhv
Testability
,Correlational studies: can’t establish cause and effect
AMYGDALA
➢ Integrative centre for emotional response, bhv & motivation
➢ Fear conditioning
➢ +ve emotional learning
➢ Trigger fight or flight response
➢ Overrides rational part: lL think in rational manner
➢ Increased activity in right side = increased impulsive violent bhv
➢ Damage: unable to prevent acting spontaneously in aggr. way
➢ Poor development = issues with fear conditioning
Fail to learn -ve consequences of anti-social bhv = no fear of being caught & good bhv
pleasurable = problems with impulse control
Supporting evidence
Pardini et al. (2014):smaller in psychopathic personalities & high aggression evident from
childhood →3x mL to exhibit aggr., violence, psychopathic features 3yrs later
Amygdala size can predict future violence
Yu Gao (2010): fear conditioning in 1800 3yrs old in 1990 traced after 20 yrs
Crim. history failed to show fear conditioning in original testing
=deficits in amygdala at age 3 predicted crim. bhv at age 23
Raine (1997): 41 NGRIs with range of mental illness had PET scans and CPT for 30 mins
NGRIs: lower levels of glucose metabolism in prefrontal cortex (linkt to impulsivity) and in left
amygdala (inhibits aggr.)
Higher activity in right amygdala (increased aggr.)
Abnormal functioning in amygdala & hippocampus = non-control pps committed murder
, Narabayashi et al.(1963): psychosurgery on humans with aggr. bhv by severing amygdala from
limbic system = mood-stabilising effect in the majority
Challenging evidence
Structural abnormalities →psychopathy, not necessarily →aggr. & criminality
James Fallon identified own brain as psychopath using MRIs but was not criminal
Eg. lack of empathy suitable for high-level management positions
Eg. lack of fear & need for stimulation entices them to engage in extreme sports
= Brain structure can’t be only factor that makes psychopaths
SHAM RAGE
Cannon and Britton (1925): severed neural connections to cortex of cats (“decorticate”)
Provoked: rage + aggr. (erect hair, growling, baring of teeth) without cognitive
influence /inhibitory control of cerebral cortex
Source of rage from temporal region -amygdala
Stimulated: aggr.
Ablated / removed: placid
=amygdala role in production of hostile bhv
Lack generalisability to humans b/C no capacity to inhibit aggr. with higher order thinking
Other explanations
Reductionist: focus only on role of amygdala within aggr., underplaying complex nature +
interrelationship btw parts of brain
Usefulness
Scanning techniques = more info to support nature side of crim. bhv
Testability
Reliable & objective brain scans
PSYCHOLOGY
___
Notes
Inter disciplines of psych., criminology + crim. justice
Studies offenders & offending bhv to improve investigation of crime by adding psych.
component
Crim. justice processes: identification & judgement, treatment programmes in community /
prisons to rehabilitate crim. + prevent recidivism
Investigate accuracy of eyewitness testimony & courtroom procedures
Bio expl.
BRAIN INJURY
Traumatic : directly as result of trauma on brain
Eg. accident, falls, illness (stroke/tumour)
Alcohol has toxic effect on CNS and interferes with absorption of vitamin B1 = impair balance +
decision-making = increase in fails / accidents injuring brain
Consequences dependent on area of brain injured
Personality / bhv untypical of person pre-trauma
Pre-frontal cortex most at risk from TBI (assess risk & determine appropriate (emotional)
response)
Damage PFC: aggr. response to “threat” = assault, social disorder offences
At young age: inability to learn appropriate social bhv & interpret bhv
,Supporting evidence
Williams et al. (2010): 60% 196 prisoners had traumatic brain injury due to falling, car
accidents, sports activities.
- Younger at entry into prison systems
- Higher rates of repeat offending
Injuries affect development of temperament, temperance (abstinence from drinking), social
judgement, control impulses
Greater risk-taking bhv =mL antisocial activity & criminality
Challenging evidence
Kreutzer et al. (1991): unable to prove / disprove cause-and-effect btw traumatic BI &
violence
20% of 74 patients arrested pre-injury , 10% post-injury
Most arrests after alcohol use / drugs
Criminal bhv result of post-injury changes eg. poor judgement
Substance abuse, TBI & crime interconnected but can’t say caused violence
Substance abuse most common in -35yrs old →legal difficulties & TBI
Without substance use history, TBI was not risk factor for criminal bhv
Other explanations
Other comorbid conditions = complex which contributes to offending bhv (multitude of factors)
Eg. substance misuse, pre-existing personality disorders, exposed to early violence
Usefulness
Scanning techniques =more info to support nature side of crim. bhv
Testability
,Correlational studies: can’t establish cause and effect
AMYGDALA
➢ Integrative centre for emotional response, bhv & motivation
➢ Fear conditioning
➢ +ve emotional learning
➢ Trigger fight or flight response
➢ Overrides rational part: lL think in rational manner
➢ Increased activity in right side = increased impulsive violent bhv
➢ Damage: unable to prevent acting spontaneously in aggr. way
➢ Poor development = issues with fear conditioning
Fail to learn -ve consequences of anti-social bhv = no fear of being caught & good bhv
pleasurable = problems with impulse control
Supporting evidence
Pardini et al. (2014):smaller in psychopathic personalities & high aggression evident from
childhood →3x mL to exhibit aggr., violence, psychopathic features 3yrs later
Amygdala size can predict future violence
Yu Gao (2010): fear conditioning in 1800 3yrs old in 1990 traced after 20 yrs
Crim. history failed to show fear conditioning in original testing
=deficits in amygdala at age 3 predicted crim. bhv at age 23
Raine (1997): 41 NGRIs with range of mental illness had PET scans and CPT for 30 mins
NGRIs: lower levels of glucose metabolism in prefrontal cortex (linkt to impulsivity) and in left
amygdala (inhibits aggr.)
Higher activity in right amygdala (increased aggr.)
Abnormal functioning in amygdala & hippocampus = non-control pps committed murder
, Narabayashi et al.(1963): psychosurgery on humans with aggr. bhv by severing amygdala from
limbic system = mood-stabilising effect in the majority
Challenging evidence
Structural abnormalities →psychopathy, not necessarily →aggr. & criminality
James Fallon identified own brain as psychopath using MRIs but was not criminal
Eg. lack of empathy suitable for high-level management positions
Eg. lack of fear & need for stimulation entices them to engage in extreme sports
= Brain structure can’t be only factor that makes psychopaths
SHAM RAGE
Cannon and Britton (1925): severed neural connections to cortex of cats (“decorticate”)
Provoked: rage + aggr. (erect hair, growling, baring of teeth) without cognitive
influence /inhibitory control of cerebral cortex
Source of rage from temporal region -amygdala
Stimulated: aggr.
Ablated / removed: placid
=amygdala role in production of hostile bhv
Lack generalisability to humans b/C no capacity to inhibit aggr. with higher order thinking
Other explanations
Reductionist: focus only on role of amygdala within aggr., underplaying complex nature +
interrelationship btw parts of brain
Usefulness
Scanning techniques = more info to support nature side of crim. bhv
Testability
Reliable & objective brain scans
