Juvenile exposure to criminal behavior increases the chances that those individuals will also engage in criminal behavior. Research gives us insight to prevent or reduce criminality and rehabilitate violators of the law that engage in criminal behavior. What causes people to commit crimes? Interdisciplinary criminology gives us a better understanding from several fields of study of a better understanding of crime. Influential factors that influence criminal behaviors are psychological, sociological, and biological. How do we help rehabilitate criminals? Each approach agrees on a criminal’s devotion to aggressive behavior, but they differ in their conclusions. Psychological involves personality, addressing certain felt needs, and defective mental processes. Sociological deals with cause and control of criminality. The social structures, cultural values, peer groups, and family all make-up this approach. The biological approach deals with a person’s biological make-up such as heredity, neurotransmitter dysfunction, and brain abnormalities as major components in criminal behavior.
Each approach consists of different methods of control, expression of behavior, and influences on criminal behavior. Situational and environmental factors provide setting and opportunity for crime to occur. Cultural forces help us analyze the context for occurring crimes. Phenomenological determines the personal meaning that a crime holds for the offender. Different researchers use different approaches to their theories but each have something to contribute to our understanding of the critical components of development. A contribution to an individual’s development begins in the womb and continues to develop well into adulthood. Many considerations should be factored into determining the causation of crime and delinquency. Early psychodynamic development, processing, and cognition fall under the psychological theories in relation to crime. The sociological theories locate the source of the criminality outside of a person. Forensic psychology is where the justice system and psychology intertwine. Understanding these legal principles determines the competence to stand trial, custody and/or visitation and how to interact with individuals that have committed crimes.
Environmental psychology focuses on the interplay between humans and their surroundings. Natural environment, social settings, built environment, learning environment, and informational environments play a part in this interdisciplinary field. Human performance is affected by environmental stress. The family environment determines a child's well-being. Families that exhibit a stimulating home environment, caring and nurturing environment, and consistent discipline are more likely to produce a child with these types of characteristics (Schmitz, 2003). A family that does not offer that environment to their child is more likely to produce a child with aggressive and/or criminal behavior (Garnefski & Okma, 1996)....
