Antisocia1 Behavior
Criminality is probably a lot like greatness-some are born to it,
some achieve it, and some have it thrust upon them. But whether it occurs
at all may depend on the kind of community children live in.
Those are among the many working hypotheses of what has to be the
world's largest study of how criminal behavior develops, about to get
under way any day now in Chicago. Researchers from the Harvard-affiliated
Judge Baker Children's Center in Boston have developed a plan for field
workers to follow 11,000 children and their families over eight years at
various age points and from every socio-economic level.
According to psychologist Jacqueline McGuire at Judge Baker, though
the study aims to get at the roots of criminal behavior, it eschews the
word "criminal." "'Antisocial' is a much broader concept," McGuire
insists. "There's lots of criminal behavior that is not seen in the
criminal system but is also important. Women, for example, don't rob
banks or engage in a life of crime. But neglect of children may be a
manifestation.
"We're looking at antisocial behavior at all development stages,
from conduct disorder in children to delinquency in adolescents to
criminality in young adults. The behaviors don't change much, but who
responds to it, and how, does.
The study, planners hope, will lead to innovative approaches to
reducing crime rates, which began a dramatic rise in the U.S. in the
1960s. It is exploring where along the course of development kids take
pathways that lead to crime-because once they get there, nothing much
helps. "Some children at a preschool age have characteristics that
predict later crime," says McGuire. "Temperament, family functioning,
parenting practices may predispose to such early-onset antisocial
behavior, but they appear to be tempered by the influence of the
community. Antisocial behavior that begins in adolescence may be less
so."
Among the questions:
o What biological, biomedical, and psychological characteristics
put children at risk for criminal behavior?
o Are poor parenting practices the cause of conduct disorders or
are there underlying factors, such as inherited temperaments, that cause
problems in both parents and children?
o Some delinquents have achievement problems in school, some
behavior problems, some neither; what are causes and effects?
o Does associating with delinquent peers actually lead to
delinquency
o Why do most of those who engage in antisocial behavior stop,
leaving a small percentage of offenders who commit most predatory
crimes?
Stay tuned.
PHOTO: 16355-8663-99263, Kings County, New York, Sheriff's
Department (MARK SCOTT/FPG)
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