6-2 Journal: Criminal Prosecution
I. Limitations:
A) What are the limitations of utilizing psychological theories in the prosecution of criminals?
a) Psychological theories can be misleading in the prosecution of criminals because they
can make profilers and detectives lean towards a specific suspect, instead of examining the case
with an open mind. These theories are often used to identify suspect and justify their selection
An example of this is during murder cases of a spouse or someone in a romantic relationship,
they typically investigate the other partners first. This is because, intimate partner violence
makes up around fifteen percent of documented violent crimes (NCADV).
B) Can these limitations be addressed or rectified? Explain.
b) The limitations including with psychological theories can be both addressed and
rectified. It can be addressed in court, by mentioning the accuracy of the testing and evidence
provided. It can also be addressed when detectives interrogate witnesses and suspects, so that
they do not pressure any of them into giving false statements or lead their questioning towards a
specific suspect. It can be rectified using data and evidence. Evidence does not lie, especially
when it has been reviewed by many experts. Therefore, a detective can use evidence and theories
to narrow down suspects (2022, February 17)
II. Motivational Factors:
A) Does a person's age impact their motivation?
a) A person's age can impact their motivation. Those who are younger tend to act more
immaturely and impulsively due to biology and lack of life experience. However, this is not
always the case. Sometimes adults act more like children due to other factors in their lives, such
as their environment and upbringing. It is believed that certain milestones, like high school
graduation or marriage, help individuals to avoid deviant behavior (2017). Positive social
interactions have an improvement of our behavior because they enforce social norms. Children
who suffer from negative social interactions such as abuse or neglect, have a stronger chance of
developing deviant tendencies, which can lead to crimes (2015, October 20).
b) Does a person's age increase the chances of continued criminal behavior?
b) There is significant correlation found between age and crime, as researched by
criminologists. Criminologists study deviance and patterns shared among criminals. The
correlation shows that deviance spikes at the age of seventeen and then decreases slowly
overtime. This is likely due to the unique circumstances of adolescence and lack of long-term life
experience. Children often commit crimes because they do not know any better or because they
are suffering in their current environment. It is researched that children of abuse have a greater
chance of becoming criminal offenders when then grow up. Once a crime is committed, there is a
greater chance the individual will become a repeat offender, possibly with their crimes increasing
with violence. It has also been found that as age increases, past offenders are less likely to
reoffend than younger offenders (2017, December).
Works Cited:
Aging out of crime: Exploring the relationship between age and crime with agent-based