WAS OUR BILLY BORN A CRIMINAL? PARENTAL NEGLECT AND JUVENILE DELINQUENCY AS A TEMPLATE FOR CRIME

Quianna J. Glapion, PhD

Abstract:
Many youths, in the penal system, enter the theoretical purview of society by way of the negative stereotypes of our day. Many troubled youths have been stigmatized as violent, aggressive, anti-social, and inconsistently disciplined by their parents or guardians. The genesis of these caricatures is rooted in the historical milieu of murder and perceived as relevant to the production of criminology theories. In this paper, I have analyzed the representations of factual serial killers, as troubled youth, from Charles Manson in Vincent Bugliosi’s Helter Skelter, Edmund Kemper in Margaret Cheney’s The Co-ed Killer, and Edward Gein in Harold Schechter’s Deviant. My analysis of these texts identifies the portrayals of these serial killers as the explanatory subjects who represent serial murder because of juvenile delinquency and lack of parental involvement. The subsequent fluctuations of the triggers of serial murder such as mental impairment and the decline in romantic relationships are also discussed in relation to the texts. I conclude this analysis by examining Robert Ressler’s Criminal Personality Research Project to propose a synergetic reply to the theories and templates that lead to serial murder.

Research findings in the contemporary desistance literature highlight the role narratives play in helping offenders to cease involvement in criminal activity. Some theories state that the most crucial cognitive change in people who desist from crime is a cognitive readiness and openness to positive change. However, the brain’s ability to change decreases with age, which makes cognitive and behavioural changes especially difficult for adults. Nevertheless, psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy could be the pioneering and groundbreaking intervention that might just break down this barrier and provide a catalyst for positive change, and, ultimately, desistance from crime.

There is a growing body of scientific literature that strongly suggests that psychedelics can be used for their therapeutic effects. Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy has been proven very effective in treating depression (including treatment-resistant), anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorder. Furthermore, qualitative results strongly suggest this treatment improves wellbeing, mood, and many individual indicators of life quality, with long-lasting effects.

Even though literature on the potential effectiveness of psychedelics for crime desistance is very limited, there are a few studies that indicate that psychedelics could be useful for reducing antisocial and criminal behaviour. These studies found that psychedelic drugs contributed to positive changes in personality and behaviour, such as positive shifts in values, confrontation of repressed emotions and insights into how one’s past experiences are related to their present circumstances.

The factors relevant to crime desistance are similar to the narratives of recovery from conditions that psychedelic-assisted therapy seems to be effective for. This paper is based on an ongoing study, and the presentation will go through the rationale behind why this pioneering form of therapy could be an effective intervention for crime desistance, as well as the mixed methods that will be used to investigate this. This is the first study to comprehensively explore the narratives of people who desisted from crime as a result of using psychedelics, and it will constitute a substantial contribution to knowledge.

Sampson and Laub’s (1993) life-course theory of crime challenged previous work on social control and the criminal life course. Their longitudinal research revealed that childhood conduct problems and temperament could predict later criminal offending, yet it did not irrevocably condemn individuals to a life of crime. Turning points, such as a quality marriage and employment, could divert them from a criminal trajectory. Despite the implications of these findings, empirical tests have yet to explore the dynamic influences of individual and structural factors on delinquency and future criminality using modern longitudinal data.

This study represents the first attempt to investigate the relationship between Sampson and Laub's structural background factors and their potential indirect effects on future criminality, utilizing data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health). Employing a weighted threshold design, we aim to determine if there exists a maximum threshold of the number of structural background factors, such as residential mobility and poverty, an individual can experience before they are significantly more likely to be on a pathway to criminality. This analysis controls for various individual constructs. The findings from this study carry substantial implications for understanding the intricate interplay between structural factors, social control processes, and criminal outcomes. These findings provide unique insights for policy and intervention strategies aimed at preventing and addressing criminality within diverse populations

Exclusion is one of the most contentious issues in education with major differences in its application across and within the countries of the UK. Opponents claim that it exacerbates the harms that have led to exclusion-worthy behaviour, setting children on a trajectory towards offending and prison. Proponents claim that it is a necessary technique of last resort for ensuring a safe learning environment in an under-resourced system.

A crux of the argument is whether exclusion is a catalyst for worsening behavioural outcomes or a consequence of pre-existing offending potential. Past tests of this association have been limited by poorly matched comparison groups, differences in eligibility criteria and unequal start and follow-up periods.

We used a pre-registered target trial approach and the MoJ-DfE linkage of education and criminal justice data for everyone in England born between 1985 and 2007 to emulate a randomised controlled trial testing the association between permanent exclusion from school and perpetration of serious violence at one year follow-up.

Individuals excluded from school (n=20,630) were matched to children who were not excluded during the same two-week period on prior convictions, suspensions, absence, special educational needs, demographic factors and school-level characteristics and outcomes compared for the two groups.

Both the excluded and not excluded groups perpetrated a disproportionate amount of violence: 1,400 incidents of serious violence, included 30 homicide or near-miss homicides, but excluded children were over twice as likely as children who were not excluded to perpetrate serious violence (hazard rate 2.05, 95% confidence intervals 1.83-2.29) and homicide/near-miss homicide (HR 2.36, 95% CI 1.04-5.36).

As exclusion was not allocated randomly, we cannot rule out unmeasured confounding, but the strength of the relationship and the robust comparison method is further evidence that exclusion may disrupt offending trajectories and increase risk of serious violence within a year.