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Violent criminal Behavior

Violent criminal behaviors are traits that are characterized by violations of criminal law, involving the intentional utilization of violence by an individual against another. Violent criminal behaviors have many known causes. A case in point is psychopathy, which is a widely recognized personality disorder within the psychological and criminal fields. This disorder is characterized by a collection of interpersonal, affective, lifestyle and antisocial features. Such features include egocentricity, grandiosity, deceptiveness, shallow emotions, lack of empathy, guilt, or remorse (Schimmenti et al. 2014). Psychopaths also show signs of impulsivity, irresponsibility, as well as readiness to defy social and legal norms and expectations. Such traits are strictly linked to violent crimes and recidivism (Schimmenti et al. 2014).

From infantry, most violent criminal activities are perpetrated by a small group of individuals, mostly men, who show CPs in childhood and ASPD in adulthood. Out of this population, a minority group meets the qualification for the syndrome of psychopathy, as evaluated by the PCL-R. This is because children, apart from CPs, show CU symptoms and impairment in recognizing sadness that is also witnessed among adult violent offenders with psychopathy (Kolla et al. 2015). Causes of violent behaviors stemming from psychopathy suggests that psychopath’s inability to create attachments arise from childhood experiences of neglects, abuse, deprivations, as well as inconsistent disciplinary measures. Some scholars have stressed on the role played by genetic and temperamental factors in psychopathy. An example is the presence of callous-unemotional features since childhood (Kolla et al. 2015).

Violent criminal behavior is often complex and may take the form of sexual assaults. In evaluating the concept of violent sexual offenses, most researchers find relative stabilities in the sexual offences for characteristics such as victim’s age, victim’s gender, as well as offender-victim links, especially among those criminals who aim stranger women and children (Hewitt & Beauregard, 2014). In the same way, there is a high degree of consistency in victim type of those who carry out indecent violent sexual crimes on males. In both sexual violence and other violent criminal behaviors in general, there are always shifts in patterns of specialization, escalation, as well as de-escalation among offenders (Hewitt & Beauregard, 2014).

Psychopathic violent offenders can be placed into two major categories: the callous, deceitful and emotionally shallow; and the highly anxious and impulsive ones. With therapeutic interventions that aim at some group-specific characteristics, the rates of new violent crimes that follow release go down by a remarkable level among psychopathic offenders who undergo full comprehensive, therapist-led group programs (Bower, 2015). Psychopath individuals form approximately one percent of the entire American population, with slightly high prevalence among men and women. Studies on psychopaths within and out of prison have emphasized almost exclusively on male violent offenders. However, psychopathy is not limited to a certain gender, because some are scheming and violent, while others have emotional deficits and may be violent (Bower, 2015).

Violent crimes are on the rise among both native and immigrant populations in the western part of the world. These incidences pose risks of fatal and nonfatal suicides and violent crimes among immigrants. Self-directed violence and violence towards other individuals are highly linked to harmful traits. They have common factors that influence them, like alcohol misuse, impulsivity, family problems, as well as socioeconomic adversities. These factors, coupled with their collective economic costs to the social system are immense (Webb et al. 2015). People with past criminal violent records are at a higher risk of dying through suicide.

Prevention mechanisms

Several interventions can be used to prevent violent criminal behaviors. For instance, the ecological model can be utilized as a framework for violence prevention. This model acts across different levels at the same time. Through this, programs that emphasize on people tend to encourage positive attitudes and behavior among kids and young individuals, and can change the behavior of people who have initially showed signs of violence (Krug et al. 2002). The method can also employ relationship strategies, which are applied to influence interactions inside families and negative impacts from peers.

Evidence-based violence prevention can also be considered. This works by modifying the personal-level problems, such as problem-solving, communication and social skills, as well as anger management strategies (David-Ferdon et al. 2015). Relationship-level problems can also be sorted out. Such methods include parental supervisions, consistent disciplines, as well as communication skills. There are also prevention prospects for strategies that modify community-level factors, such as physical environment, norms regarding violent behaviors, and other factors (David-Ferdon et al. 2015).

Violent behaviors arising from alcohol and substance abuse can be prevented by applying behavioral therapeutic approaches (Grann & Fazel, 2004). This first begins by use of detoxifications to get rid of the traces of alcohol in blood. Once patients have been detoxified, behavioral interventions may start. Behavioral methods focus on attitude change and making the patient view alcohol negatively by attaching negativities to alcohol (Shepherd, 2007). Sexual and gender-based violent behavior can be addressed by active mobilization and campaigns aimed at promoting attitude change. Such mobilizations should be carried out by civil society, government agencies, the judiciary and law enforcement agencies. The attitude change against gender-based violence among men needs to be encouraged and to shape the tradition of men in ways that are more gender equitable (Seedat et al. 2009).

Crime rate statistics

Albilene Metropolitan area has a total of 119,401 occupants. Out of this number, there were 477 incidences of violent criminal behaviors recorded by law enforcers (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2013). Furthermore, there was 1 case of manslaughter, 37 cases of rape, and 125 incidences of robbery. Burglary and theft constituted 1055 and 3450 incidences respectively. These crimes were perpetrated through violent means.

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