Journal 6-2 Criminal Prosecution 1 Journal 6-2 Criminal Prosecution PSY-310 Criminal Psychology DECEMBER 3, 2023 Sara Whittaker Southern New Hampshire University
Journal 6-2 Criminal Prosecution 2 Limitations Psychological theories have some restrictions when it comes to using them in the prosecution of criminals. Social, mental, or cultural factors are often overlooked as a contributing factor to the issue. Every psychological theory asserts that an individual's thoughts and feelings impact their actions. The theories fail to consider the influence of social, cultural, and psychological factors on human behavior. "Psychological theories of crime identify and assess the different causes and precursors of criminal behavior" (Bartol & Bartol, 2019. Certain individuals argue that acting unfriendly and flouting rules may contribute to engaging in criminal behavior. It could be considered unjust as individuals who display antisocial behavior may be unfairly labelled as criminals. An additional concern occurs when people face unjust treatment due to their race, gender, socioeconomic status, or age. Theories can be useful, but they should not be the only thing used to prosecute criminals because every case is different. There are no specific rules that apply to every case. These problems could be fixed by adding the information needed to correctly charge a criminal. I suspect that these aspects in my paper might function as obstacles, but I am hesitant to label them as limitations since they may be beyond my control. I doubt we can lift these constraints given that she has caused the deaths of numerous people, regardless of the motivations behind her actions. No matter the justification, it is always unacceptable. Motivational Factors The age of an individual can influence their likelihood of engaging in criminal behavior. "Child delinquents are two or three times more likely to become serious, violent, and chronic offenders than adolescents who begin offending in their teens" (Bartol & Bartol, 2019). In my
Journal 6-2 Criminal Prosecution 3 opinion, this is heavily influenced by the process of maturing. As individuals age, they become more concerned with the potential negative outcomes of their actions. Yet, there are times when they still feel compelled to carry it out. My belief is that the probability of ongoing crimes is unchanged. Young individuals have a higher tendency to continue engaging in criminal activities compared to older individuals. This does not imply that adults do not commit illegal actions, but they often become more adept at avoiding repeating their mistakes.