A Proposal to Research of What the Causes are of Individuals Engaging in Criminal Activity, and Are the Necessary Steps Taken Within the Criminal Justice System to Address the Underlying Issue?
Section I. Introduction
Section II. Literature Review
There are many reasons why people commit crimes whether it’s mental, economical, or even environmental. These factors play huge roles in the reasoning behind it. Thierry & Yves (2004) stated that people located in a poor neighborhoods, as well as those who were being discriminated against, were big factors in criminal behavior. If they cannot get what they need from their jobs they may feel as if they have no other choice than to take what they need. In this article, they conducted most of their research by studying previous statistics and research focusing on the demographics of criminals. However, they interpret this information differently and focus solely on location and beliefs.
The environment could have an influence on criminals as well. Mapou, Shendell, Ohman-Strickland, Madrigano, Qingyu, Whytlaw, & Miller (2017) took a look at how elements in the air, such as lead, could also take a toll on criminal activity. “When plotting violent crime rates in relation to air–lead concentrations after lead was removed from gasoline, an observable statistically significant decline in violent crime was identified (Nevin, 2000). The ability of lead to cause adverse outcomes to the brain, including reduction in cognitive function and IQ Mapou (2017)” is a relatively new aspect of the reasoning behind criminal behavior, and it shows how many things can take a toll on the brain and hinder its functionality. Though it can be a stretch, they are starting to study this issue in more detail.
Trauma exposure in childhood has shown to significantly increase the risk for violent and aggressive behavior leading to crime (Wolff, Jing Shi, 2012). They used a large sample of incarcerated men because this link is higher among them. Abuse or trauma can heavily impact one’s personality development.
We need to look at if the criminal justice system is doing its part to try and combat the issues stated above. Though we are advancing in technology, crime still “holds the fascination of the public (Champion, 2011)”. They are always concerned with what the system is doing to protect them. According to Agnew (2005), crime is most likely to occur when the motivations are high and the constraints against crime is low. This also pushes the criminal justice system to find ways to avoid this by creating more obstacles to deter the crime. The public has brought the idea of figuring out the root causes and creating a more progressive solution to crime (James, Francis & James, 2008). I believe we can look at these statistics and determine what the main causes for criminal behavior are in each location, such as Miami. We will conclude what the best ways to resolve these issues for this area as well, like using the public suggestions.
Section III. Research Design and Methods
The purpose of this study is to understand the question, “What are the causes of individuals engaging in criminal behavior and, are the necessary steps taken within the criminal justice system to address the underlying issue?” Many cases where serious crimes have been committed leads to the assumption that a mental disability is the underlying issue at hand. We have to rule out all possible solutions such as whether or not the criminal just decided to commit the crime unexpectedly, whether or not the crime was due to a traumatic experience that occurred within their life, and lastly if the criminal is actually mentally ill. Within the research study the goal is to come to a middle ground to decide rather an individual was completely aware of their wrong doings or if the individual needs to seek psychological help in order to be successful within society. Understanding that imprisonment may not always be a solution to a crime if the individual does not receive help to look at the mental state of the situation first. The facilities that we will focus our efforts from are located in Miami, Florida.
Adult Inmate:
Miami- Dade County Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Headquarters
2525 NW 62nd Street
Miami, Florida 33147
Juvenile Inmates:
Juvenile Justice Department
18425 NW 2nd Ave Ste 200
Miami, Florida 33142
The respondents for the research will be 400 individuals who are willing to participate, this will include 100 adults ranging from ages (25-40) that are incarcerated for committing a serious crime (mostly federal offenses), also 100 ranging from ages (13-18) youths that are in Youth Detention Centers (YDC). In comparison with these individuals we will conduct another research with 100 adults ranging from ages (25-40) and 100 ranging from ages (13-18) children who are considered “perfectly normal” to society. By going through an in-depth interviewing process to understand exactly what leads to the reason why these individuals committed the crimes they did but to also understand it from the criminal’s point of view. The research project will take up to 6 months to complete and put all of the collected data together.
While conducting an in-depth interview with the respondents, it will help to understand the reasons why the individual committed the crime or from our person perspective if the individual is mentally ill. Licensed psychologist will also be on hand to look over the data that is collected, on the other hand specialized Neuroscientist being used to predict the knowledge recklessness distinction in the human brain through Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Being able to measure brain waves to use in comparison to the individuals who have never committed crimes or experienced a severely tragic event throughout their lifetime.
The data will be collected through a few different methods that we will combine. Each participant will partake in an MRI while being asked questions about the crimes they committed as well as why they think that they did the crime. They will be monitored by licensed neuroscientists and neurologists and their data will be reviewed by psychologists. We have also come up with a list of questions that will look at their cognitive ability as well as the reasoning behind their action. We will be giving each participant this list of questions they will answer. After they have answered, we will then give these questions to the panel of psychologists for them to analyze. We will look at the participants’ scans and questions individually.
Licensed Neuroscientist will be used to read the results of the MRI’s from the individuals. They will give us the results in full detail and there will be a video recording of the scans so we can see exactly what was going on in the brain as the questions were being asked. Licensed psychologist will study the individual’s mental state from emotional, cognitive and social processes and their day to day behaviors and use their judgement to determine if each individual is mentally stable or if they have other impeding factors. Also, this will help us understand and observe how the individual relates to other individuals in society and in their same environment. We will look first at each individual and what crimes they have committed, separating the misdemeanors from felonies, and then we will gather our data and determine what the biggest and most common factors are within each group of participants.
Section IV. Preliminary Suppositions and Implications
Policymakers should understand that this is a national issue that need to be dealt with but to also be a possible solution to lowering the crime rate and preventing crime before it happens. A potential policy that could be put into action for the project is to require all individuals once they reach a certain age to have a MRI every couple of years to ensure that no frequency in the brain waves have not changed that can be an indication of a disturbance in the individuals thought process. Understanding why individuals commit crimes is a question that the world has been curious to know for years, finally we might have the answer. Not only is this a question the Criminal Justice System needs to know, but the victims and their families, and even the individual that committed the crime. Knowing that a situation could possibly be prevented, and it give individuals a chance to seek help if mental issues are the underlying issue. This can ultimately eliminate the public asking the question of if law enforcement is doing their job to prevent these actions from taking place.
The research focuses on understanding the brain waves that are gathered from the MRI can determine a disruption in the way a person thinks, that eventually leads to commit a crime. This is intended to be a possible solution to completely stop crime or to at least catch it in the early stage before it takes place. The information gathered from this research can create a dramatic change, on all levels locally, nationally, and internationally. This is a problem that can help everyone regardless of what country, state, or city crime occurs everywhere. We don’t feel as if the policy will be affected if the hypothesis is showed to be incorrect since police are still working diligently around the clock to ensure that crime is being maintained but also trying to keep criminals off of the streets.