Medindia LOGIN REGISTER
Medindia
Advertisement

An Act of Crime Does Not Make a Criminal

by Rathi Manohar on July 24, 2010 at 1:19 PM
An Act of Crime Does Not Make a Criminal

Young people who have broken the law do not have to become criminals in later life, says a new study.

Helmut Remschmidt and Reinhard Walter of the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at Philipps University in Marburg, Germany in their Marburg Child Delinquency Study studied how how often children who were registered by the police as having committed criminal offenses before age 14 (the age of criminal responsibility in Germany) went on to commit further criminal offenses in adulthood.

Advertisement

They also evaluated potential predictors for delinquent behavior. A control group for the study consisted of persons who had not had any contact with the police relating to criminal offenses.

Remschmidt and Walter obtained data concerning the life history, family circumstances, health, schooling, vocational training, and personality structure of a total of 263 subjects aged 18 or older.
Advertisement

Information on the subjects' further development with respect to the commission of crimes was obtained from their criminal records.



The evaluation of the data revealed that juvenile delinquents fall into two categories: those who become chronic offenders into adulthood and those who are delinquent only in childhood and/or adolescence, but not in adulthood.

Social and familial risk factors were found to be the best predictors of criminal behavior in adulthood, followed by certain personality traits, such as emotional lability and nervousness.

In general, the risk factors for criminality were found to be the same as those for mental illness, yet three risk factors seem to be specific for criminality: male sex, early onset of aggressiveness, and the negative influence of delinquent peers.



The study was published in the current issue of Deutsches Arzteblatt International.

Source: ANI
Font : A-A+

Advertisement

Advertisement
Advertisement

Latest Lifestyle and Wellness News

Workaholic Blues: Strained Despite Working Hard
Work addicts don't always find more joy in work. Workaholism mirrors addictions like gambling or alcoholism, debunking common beliefs.
Social Media Reshapes New Parenting Journeys
Amid the challenges of caring for newborns and toddlers, a study notes a rising trend of new parents seeking social media's help for managing their children.
Social Isolation With No Family & Friends Visits Linked to Mortality Risk
Lack of friends and family visits is tied to a 39% increased risk of mortality that can be used to develop effective therapies associated with social isolation.
Sunscreen & Its Pseudoeffects of Sun Protection
Compared to wearing sun-protective clothes and avoiding the sun, using sunscreen is the least effective way to prevent sunburn on the skin.
How Fruit & Vegetable Microbiomes Benefit Human Gut Health?
Bacterial diversity in the human gut is benefited by eating fruit and vegetables with microorganisms of probiotic and health-promoting characteristics.
View All
This site uses cookies to deliver our services.By using our site, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Cookie Policy, Privacy Policy, and our Terms of Use  Ok, Got it. Close
×

An Act of Crime Does Not Make a Criminal Personalised Printable Document (PDF)

Please complete this form and we'll send you a personalised information that is requested

You may use this for your own reference or forward it to your friends.

Please use the information prudently. If you are not a medical doctor please remember to consult your healthcare provider as this information is not a substitute for professional advice.

Name *

Email Address *

Country *

Areas of Interests