Youth Involvement in Crime and Violence Biopsychosocial Analysis

includes index and biblioraphy

Part 1: Theoretical analysis 1. Biosocial theory of crime ......3 Biochemical conditions and crime ........4 Neurophysiological conditions and crime .....7 Genetics and violence .....9 Evolution and violence .....10 Conclusion .......12 2. Psychological theories .......13 The psychodynamic perspective .......13 Behavioural theories ........14 Cognitive development and violence .......15 Personality and violence .......16 Intelligence and violence .......17 Mental illness and violence .......19 Conclusion .......21 3. Rational choice and routine activities theory ........23 Rational choice theory .......23 Routine activities theory .......24 Empirical research on rational choice perspectives .......24 Conclusion ......27 4. Social disorganization theory .....31 Processes leading from social disorganization to crime ........33 Conclusion .....38 5. Strain theories ........41 Anomie theory .......41 General strain theory .......45 Relative deprivation theory ........47 Conclusion .....50 6. Social learning theories ......53 Social learning theory .......53 Recent research findings .....57 Conclusion .......60 7. The subculture of violence ......61 Values, norms and violence .......62 Subcultures of violence, peer support and social control .......66 Occupational subcultures of violence .......71 Hockey violence and the subculture of violence thesis ........71 Sex work, drug use and subcultures of violence ......72 Disputatiousness in the south and the inner city .......73 The cultureof honour and the psychology of violence .....73 The code of the streets: Disputatiousness in the inner city .......76 Conclusion .......79 8. Social learning, and media of violence .......81 Defining media violence and aggression .......82 Theoretical explanations of media effects ........82 Theoretical explanations of short-term media-effects .......83 Evidence supporting the media-effects arguments .......85 Three new studies and their implications ....86 Evidence not supporting the media effects argument ......89 Explaining concerns about media violence .......91 Conclusion .....92 9. Perceptions of injustice, crime and violence .......95 Linking perceptions of injustice and crime .....100 Conclusion .......106 10. Social control and self-control theories .......109 Social control theory ......109 Self-control theory .....114 Conclusion .....117 11. Integrated life course theories ........119 Multi-factor theories .....120 Life course theories .......121 Interactional theory ....123 Conclusion ....125 12 Critical perspectives on violence .......127 Racism as violence .......131 State or corporate violence ......132 Conclusion ......135 Part II: Preventing strategies 13. Aggressive policing strategies .......139 Increased police numbers .......139 Rapid response .....141 Broken windows, aero tolerance and hot spots policing .......141 Conclusion ......149 14. Community policing strategies .......153 Community policing .....153 Evaluating the effectiveness of community policing .......164 Challenges in the implementation of community policing .......168 Conclusion .....169 15. Deterrence strategies .....171 Rational choice and deterrence theories .......171 General research on youth offending and deterrence ....179 Conclusion .....192 16. Early childhood development strategies .....195 Family-based prevention ....196 Individual prevention ....201 Conclusion ......208 17. School-based strategies ........209 School uniforms .....209 Situational crime prevention [SCP] strategies .....211 The police, school resource officers, security and searches .......213 Suspensions expulsions and zero tolerance .....214 Prevention programs and soft techniques .....216 18. Employment strategies .......237 19. Mentoring strategies .......249 20. Sports-based strategies .......265 21. Arts and recreational strategies ....279 22. Community development strategies ......299