1-1 Discussion: Criminal Motivation Steve is the primary suspect in a case involving the sale and distribution of methamphetamine. He is a 21-year-old Caucasian male who has never been in a committed relationship. He has no children and has two brothers. He and his brothers all live at home with their mother, who works two full-time jobs to support the family. He was born and raised in a rural community with close access to a larger city. His father and both uncles are incarcerated for the sale and distribution of cocaine. He looks up to his father and has regular contact with him. His older brother is transient, often absent from the home for weeks at a time. His younger brother is in high school-they are close. He goes to Catholic Mass about once a month and is close with the parish priest, who has been a mentor for the past 10 years. Steve does not use drugs, preferring to sell them. He is a heavy consumer of alcohol, which caused early-stage liver dysfunction. He maintains a social media account, open for public view, where he posts about being frequently angry. He has both a juvenile and adult arrest record for minor crimes such as shoplifting and possession of a controlled substance for personal use. He is suspected of sales with intent to distribute because he was photographed at a known drop house on 12 occasions, staying for several hours each time. His fingerprints were found on meth lab equipment after a search warrant was served at that house. Begin by introducing yourself to your classmates and briefly explain what you may already know about criminal psychology and what you hope to learn from this course. After reading the Module One Discussion Scenario PDF, address the following: What influences a person's motivation to commit a crime? Think about developmental, biological, and situational factors that contribute to the person's behavior. What influences a person's motivation to commit a crime? There is no single answer to what motivates a person to commit a crime as developmental, biological, and situational factors contribute to a person's behavior. Charlotte Nickerson research assistant at Harvard University noted that "biological theories of crimes state that whether or not people commit crimes depends on their biological nature and could include factors such as genetics, neurology, or physical constitution."[ CITATION Cha23 \1 1033 ] There are common psychosocial motivators for criminal behavior such as socioeconomic differences, family dynamics, peer influence, and substance abuse. [ CITATION All23 \l 1033 ] In the discussion scenario it is clear Steve possesses motivators for criminal behavior. There are signs of development, environmental, biological, and social factors throughout. Steven's role models are criminals, he grew up in an unstable home due to his father and both uncles being incarcerated, and lack of parental supervision since his mother works 2 full time jobs. The amount of drinking and drug use and venting of rage are signs of trauma. Steve may benefit from counseling to learn