Criminal Lessons

by Reamer, Frederic G.

• ISBN13: 9780231129305
• ISBN10: 0231129300
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2003-09-01
• Publisher: Columbia Univ Pr

Summary

Why do people commit crimes? How can crime be prevented? And what can society and criminal justice professionals do to implement constructive responses to criminal behavior? Summarizing what he has learned about crime and criminals during his long career, one of social work's most distinguished theoreticians speculates about the factors that lead to crime and considers what we can do to prevent and respond to it meaningfully. Criminal Lessons is based on more than thirteen thousand cases in which Frederic G. Reamer has been involved as a parole board member, a role that was supplemented by his earlier experiences working in a federal correctional facility, a state penitentiary, and a forensic unit in a state psychiatric hospital. Reamer presents an original and compelling typology of crime that classifies offenders on the basis of the circumstances that led to their offenses. He isolates seven categories, tracing crime to desperation, greed, rage, revenge, frolic, addiction, or mental illness. Using actual case studies to illustrate these patterns of 'criminal circumstances,' Reamer presents a model for the prevention of, and response to, crime and throughout the book offers recommendations related to social services, criminal justice, and public policy.

Table of Contents

1 First Lessons	1	(28)
The Typology of Criminal Circumstances
Lessons Learned
A Primer on Etiology Responding to Crime
The Calibration-Recalibration Model of Crime Prevention and Control
The Stages of Change
2 Crimes of Desperation	29	(20)
Financial Desperation and Poverty
White-Collar Financial Desperation
Crimes of Fear
Desperate Personal Circumstances
3 Crimes of Greed, Exploitation, and Opportunism	49	(31)
Financial Crimes
Organized Crime
Gang Exploitation
Sexual Exploitation
4 Crimes of Rage	80	(17)
Family and Relationship Violence
Social Violence
Workplace Violence
Stranger Rage
5 Crimes of Revenge and Retribution	97	(23)
Family and Relationship Revenge and Retribution
Acquaintance Revenge and Retribution
Coworker Revenge and Retribution
Authority Figure Revenge and Retribution
6 Crimes of Frolic	120	(14)
Thrill-Seeking Behavior
Entertainment
Frolic Under the Influence
7 Crimes of Addiction	134	(25)
Substance Abuse
Pathological Gambling
8 Crimes of Mental Illness	159	(21)
Biological Correlates of Mental Illness
Schizophrenia and Psychotic Disorders
Mood Disorders
Anxiety Disorders
Paraphilias
Mental Retardation
Dissociative Disorders
9 Final Lessons	180	(15)
Crime Prevention
Responding to Crime
Notes	195	(2)
References	197	(14)
Index	211