The document discusses criminal behavior in youth and its management. It defines youth as ages 15-24 and notes that this phase is characterized by curiosity and risk-taking. Criminal behaviors in youth can include lying, stealing, bullying, and violence. Psychological factors like aggression, impulsivity, low emotional intelligence, and antisocial personality traits may contribute to criminal behaviors. Environmental factors like family structure, parenting styles, peers, school, and neighborhood also influence youth criminal behavior. Intervention strategies aim to prevent, manage, or treat criminal behaviors through approaches like cognitive behavioral therapy, multisystemic therapy, and mindfulness-based therapy.

1. Criminal Behaviour in Youths
Dr. Deoshree Akhouri
Associate Professor & Clinical Psychologist
Department of Psychiatry
JNMCH,
Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh

2. • Youth is defined by not being a child but on its way to being a grown-up.
• World Health Organization (WHO) considers youth between ages of 15-24 years. This
phase is smitten by everything shiny. The curiosity to know things, the ability to be
adventurous, interest to explore meanings and consequences, wish to be the best of
everything.
• But sometimes, a single wrong step could produce grave predicament. We are aware of
them being the vibrant future of our Nation, but have we ever tried to bring out only
good in them, while explaining what’s wrong.

3. • The age of youth is like a roller-coaster, full of ups and downs, highs and lows.
• During these downs and lows, individuals have a tendency to seek out those
solutions that might not prove to be right or is full of adverse consequences.
• This lecture will throw light on what are different criminal behaviours, factors
that contribute to different criminal behaviour and how one can manage youth’s
increased involvement in such behaviours.

4. • Lying about going to school but going elsewhere, asking for more money than recommended by
school, etc.
• Stealing toys, money or other valuable items
• Staying out late or coming back late
• Running from home or school
• Bullying, threatening and intimidation (terrifying) younger siblings or weaker older sibling
• Physical cruelty towards family members
• Physical cruelty towards pets
• Not doing well in school
• Difficult family relationships
• Lack of boundaries and parental supervision
• Having friends who commit crime
• Drug and Alcohol misuse
• Mental Health issues, such as ADHD
Criminal Behaviour at Home

5. • Lying about not completing homework, missing school, etc.
• Stealing books, notebooks, stationary, lunch, etc.
• Bullying, threatening and intimidation (terrifying) fellow classmates, younger
children
• Physical fight/cruelty at school
• Truancy
Criminal Behaviour in School

6. • Violation of societal norms (traffic rules, gambling)
• Bullying, threatening and intimidation (terrifying) to weaker sections of society
• Physical fight
• Usage of weapon to cause physical harm
• Physical cruelty towards humans
• Physical cruelty towards animals
• Breaking and Entering
• Robbery
• Burglary
• Forcing into sexual act/ eve-teasing
• Engaging in fire to cause harm
• Destroying other’s property
• Cyber-bullying
Criminal Behaviours in Society

7. Psychological Characteristics of Criminal Behaviours in Youths

8. • Criminal behaviours are defined by presence of those characteristics
that do not follow the norms of society and constantly defies those
norms.
• Commonly followed characteristics of criminal behaviours include
aggressiveness, impulsivity and bullying, and personality
temperament, emotional & social intelligence, etc.

9. Aggressiveness
• Aggressive behaviours among youths include arrogance, rudeness, temper
tantrums, truancy, etc.
• Hostile aggressions (physical or verbal) are often shown by boys, whereas
Instrumental aggressions (non-physical) are often present among girls.

10. Impulsivity
• The inability to think before acting is considered as impulsivity. Impulsivity is a
constant trait among most of the youths. Various researchers have shown that
impulsivity and criminal behaviour goes hand-in-hand.
• Poor impulse control, low self-control, hostility, etc. are some early signs of
criminal behaviour.

11. Bullying
• Causing harm to others intentionally forms bullying.
• Physical, verbal and psychological bullying are major types of
bullying.
• Once victims of bullying, turned into culprits, are found involved in
damaging of property, rather than causing pain to others.

12. Personality Temperament
• Personality is stable set of thoughts, behaviour and actions that discriminates
one individual from another. People with temperament traits like defiance,
hostility, jealousy, lack of empathy, etc. often show criminal behaviours.
• Over the years, various researches have contributed in understanding those traits
that contributes to criminal behaviours in youths. The traits of these youths often
have traits like impulsivity, hostility, aggression, suspicion, etc. They manipulate
others; exploit them in order to fulfil their desired goals.

13. • Such youths are extroverts, short-tempered, and have adjustment problems, etc.
• They also show neurotic traits: negative emotions, anxiety, irritation,
impulsivity, etc. If these traits are addressed at early stages, the possibility of
reducing criminal behaviour increases.

14. Emotional Intelligence
• The ability to observe and manage ones as well as others emotions are
known as emotional intelligence.
• People with low level of emotional intelligence are impulsive, prone to
risky behaviour, unable to understand other’s perspective.
• The incapability to regulate their emotions possibly leads to criminal
behaviour such as stealing, robbery, assault of physical and sexual nature,
etc.

15. Social Intelligence
• Social Intelligence is defined as individual’s capacity to understand and deal
with others and engage in socially appropriate relations.
• It basically involves social awareness (understanding others feelings, thoughts
and perceptions owing to social situation) and social competence (efficient
interaction with others).
• Low social intelligence has been found to be associated with criminal behaviour.
• If youth is competent enough to comprehend the situation and respond
adequately, deviant activities are less likely to occur.

16. Factors Contributing to Criminal Behaviour

17. • Individual’s interaction with their surrounding and environment helps in
determining the outcomes of criminal behaviour in future. Family and social
settings are the core of proper development.
• Family structure and interaction, parenting, neighbours, peers, etc. exerts great
influence on youths.

18. Family Structure and Interaction
• Youths coming from broken, divorced families or having teenage mothers, are
more likely to be involved in criminal behaviours.
• Number of siblings also influences criminal behaviour; large family size
indicates poor supervision and discipline by parents.
• The way family interacts also leaves significant impact on youth’s indulgence in
criminal behaviours.

19. • Parental monitoring, sufficient supervision, closeness with parents, etc.
reduces possibility of criminal behaviour and exerts importance that good
parental supervision and interaction are less likely to turn children
towards crime even in adulthood.
• Notable story of Kallikak Family.

20. Parenting Styles
• Parents are first set of people on whom child relies on, therefore, a cordial
interaction and understanding is of utmost importance.
• Parenting shapes on the way child responds to authority, they transform
them into respectable individuals.
• Youth often exhibit patterns of aggression, impulsivity, hostility, etc.,
making it important to address the parenting style opted by parents.

24. Peers
• Good peer helps in increasing one’s good characteristics, such as self-esteem,
prosocial behaviour, moral values, etc.
• As the saying goes, ‘man is known by the company he keeps’, clearly states the
importance of one’s company.
• Spending time with criminal peers, adjusting to their demands and attachment
with them seems to lead to criminal behaviour in them.

25. School
• School is said to be the second home. Children spend significant amount of their day at
school, therefore, school environment is important.
• School environment includes classroom, staff and rules and regulations, leaves a
substantial impact on children.
• The interaction between teacher and students as well as students and students helps in
paving the way for better development and shaping their future.
• Teachers and staff members should work in collision to identify problematic behaviour
of children and prevent any of those.

26. • Suspension, detention classes, disciplinary actions or no promotion to
next class should be undertaken to combat the problems of criminal
behaviours. However, too many restrictions could also lead to rebellious
behaviour in students.
• With time, it became clear that good academic performance helps keep a
check on criminal behaviour. Positive reinforcement from teachers and
other staffs also reduces the possible involvement in criminal behaviour.

27. Neighbourhood
• If children are not found spending much time inside the home or at school, they
are probably in their neighbourhood; roaming, playing, enjoying with their
peers.
• Social environment of one’s upbringing is of utmost importance.
Neighbourhood leaves a significant effect on development of criminal behaviour
among youths.
• Environment that flourishes on criminality creates high possibility for
criminality among its residents, especially youths.

28. Management of Criminal Behaviours in Youths

29. Primary Prevention
• The main focus is on characteristics that pose risk for development of criminal
behaviour among youths, such as impulsivity, aggressiveness, poor academic
performance or socio-economic status, etc.
• Home visitations, parenting intervention programs, school intervention
programmes, etc. would seem to work to prevent criminal behaviours.

30. Secondary Prevention
• The main focus is on youths who were already involved in criminal behaviour. It is
assumed that once an individual gets involved in justice system, that individual is
labelled and the possibility of recidivism rates increases.
• Multidisciplinary interventions where law enforcers, parents, psychologists work
together to understand behavioural pattern in order to reduce future criminal
behaviours.
• Diverting attention to crime rather than criminal is considered as restorative justice and
is a core element of secondary prevention.
• It involves accepting and taking responsibilities apologizing, compensating and facing
victims, repairing damages, community services, etc.

31. Tertiary Prevention
• The tertiary prevention is designed for serious as well as repeated offenders,
including incarceration.
• For such youths, military style intervention seems more suitable, making them
out of motion while closing doors for new offenders or offences.
• The main is to provide harsher punishments for serious offences to stop
recidivism.
• Government proposal, Dangerous Severe Personality Disordered (DSPD), was
aimed to keep at-risk people, who pose risk for others, from committing crime.

32. Situational Crime Prevention
• As the name suggests, the main aim is to reduce risky environmental
characteristics; therefore, also known as environmental crime prevention. It is
usually achieved through hardening targets, instillation of CCTVs, etc.
• Even small activities could reduce bigger acts of crime or if they are neglected,
even bigger crimes could take place.
• Elliot & Dowards (1989) gave the concept of neighbourhood watch, where
community members keeps eye on suspicious activities in neighbourhood. It
also increases cohesiveness among community.

33. The most prominent intervention strategies undertaken
worldwide for the treatment, management or prevention of
criminal behaviour among youths targets intervention in
all of the 4 above mentioned settings

34. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy

35. • Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) is a form of psychotherapy, blending 2
most eminent therapies of psychology: behaviour therapy and cognitive therapy.
• Identification and understanding the problematic (criminal) behaviour and
changing that behaviour are core principle of CBT. The main aim is to attain
control over such behaviours.

36. CBT generally is covered in 6 phases:
• psychological assessment
• re-conceptualization
• skills acquisition
• application training
• generalization
• post-treatment assessment

37. Kanfer and Saslow explained 4 important steps in CBT:
• identification of behaviour
• understanding nature of behaviour (good-bad, right-wrong, etc.)
• frequency, duration and intensity of behaviour
• to decrease that unhealthy behaviour while increasing the healthy and
good behaviour.

38. Utah Criminal Justice Center, University of Utah (2012), The USA, specifically designed
6 intervention strategies falling under CBT:
• aggression replacement training
• cognitive interventions program
• moral reconation therapy
• relapse prevention therapy
• reasoning and rehabilitation program
• thinking for a change.
• These interventions are often adopted by psychologists in the management process of
criminal behaviours.

39. Aggression Replacement Training (ART)
• This technique conceptualizes different theories that work with youths.
• ART has 3 components: behavioural (social skills training), affective (anger
management) and cognitive (moral reasoning).

40. Cognitive Interventions Program (CIP)
• The centre of intervention is changing negative attitudes into
positive ones; identifying negative and contributing factors while
simultaneously changing them through introspection and
retrospection.

41. Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT)
MRT focuses on 7 treatment issues:
• confrontation of beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours;
• assessment of current relationships;
• reinforcement of positive behaviour and habits;
• positive identity formation;
• enhancement of self-concept;
• decrease in hedonism and development of frustration tolerance;
• development of higher stages of moral reasoning.
It is widely used in criminal settings focusing on moral aspect of their deviation.

42. Relapse Prevention Therapy (RPT)
• RPT is the treatment of addictive behaviours, especially substance addiction.
• With time, RPT grew its branches in justice system. Like addictive behaviours are
acquired, criminal behaviours also follow the same course. Interpersonal conflicts,
environmental stimulus, psychosocial constrains, etc. contributes to the development of
criminal behaviours.
• RPT aims at identifying all the risk or contributing factors that leads to relapse of such
behaviours. Self-management and self-control are core techniques of RPT.

43. Marlatt developed a series of key points, which could serves as the basis for relapse
among youths. Questions included were:
• Events that trigger relapse
• Reason why relapse occurred
• How individual reacts to such situations and how it affects their behaviour
• Did individual deliberately got involve into tempting situation from which there was no
turning back
• Teaching probable coping strategies to avoid triggering situations that might reduce
possibility of relapse.

44. Reasoning and Rehabilitation Program (R&R)
• It is type of rehabilitation program specifically designed for youths.
• The program focuses on reducing recidivism by understanding the reason
behind criminal behaviour rather than focusing its complete attention on
coping strategies.
• Program teaches social skills, lateral and critical thinking patterns, importance
of education and other cognitive behavioural skills.

45. R&R generously cover following areas:
• problem solving
• social skills and negotiation skills
• management of emotions
• creative thinking
• values enhancement
• critical reasoning
• cognitive exercises

46. Thinking for a Change (T4C)
• T4C focuses on development of social skills, problem solving abilities and
cognitive restructuring.
• The social skills training help individuals engaging in prosocial activities instead of antisocial
acts through self-realization and awareness.
• Understanding and acting appropriately to the stressful situation is the prime aspect of problem
solving skill.
• Self-reflection of antisocial thoughts, ideas, beliefs, attitudes, etc. fall under constructs of
cognitive restructuring.
• Controlling one’s behaviour (anger), attending to one’s thoughts, understanding
risks of actions, understanding others (victim’s) feelings, etc. are some issues
generally tackled in T4C sessions.

48. Multisystemic Therapy

49. • Multisystemic Therapy (MST) is a family-based intervention, applied mostly in
justice system, correctional facilities, etc.
• MST have been especially designed to treat criminal behaviours as it leaves no
aspect of antisocial behaviour left unturned.
• MST focuses on reducing sexual behaviour, incarceration, sexual offences,
recidivism and improving individual’s network of family, friends, schools, etc.
• Youths should be left in their community while psychologists work in
eradication of probable risk factors that cause criminal behaviour.

50. Objectives of MST for Criminal Behaviours
• Reduction of criminal behaviour by youths
• Reducing accompanying behaviours
• Decreasing incarceration rates
• Reducing recidivism rates

51. Bronfenbrenner’s Social Ecological Framework (1979) claimed that individuals are
greatly (directly or indirectly) influenced by their surroundings.

52. Mindfulness Based Therapy

53. • Mindfulness based therapy/ intervention (MBT/I) is a form of
psychotherapy where one focuses on present moment of one’s emotional,
physical and mental state while being non-judgemental.
• Based on Buddhist philosophy of attentional awareness, emotional
enhancement and behaviour regulation, MBT was developed by Kabat-
Zinn (1979).

54. • Mindfulness technique encompasses awareness, acceptance and openness along
with meditation in order to achieve improved well-being.
• It allows clear understanding of how one’s thought processes and how they
impact well-being; allows regulation of emotions, thoughts and impulses further
improving behaviour and tackle problem.

56. If we take up to discuss every other therapy that provides reduction in
criminal behaviours, lowers recidivism, the discussion would become
impossible to end.
We have focused mainly on CBT and MST as they are most frequently
studied and applied therapeutic techniques in justice system, specifically for
youth, all over the world.

57. Suggestion for Parents
Youths are much less likely to get into trouble if their parents:
• have a good relationship with them and can talk openly with them
• can agree sensible clear rules and encourage them to stick to them as much as
possible
• know where they are and what they are up to
• are informed and supportive

58. Suggestion for School
• Youth (children) are also less likely to get into trouble if their parents
have an interest in their school life and they have good relationships
with their teachers.
• This all helps to encourage children to go to school as often as
possible.

59. Suggestion for Society
• Youth (children) are less likely to offend if their parents can help
them to become involved in activities or interests in their local
community.
• This can include youth clubs, sports clubs, uniformed groups and
religious groups.

60. Dr. Deoshree Akhouri
Email: drdeoshreeakhouri@gmail.com