NCJ Number
47286
Date Published
1977
Length
15 pages
Annotation
THE DISTINGUISHING PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS OR EXPERIENCES OF THE LAW-ABIDING PERSON RAISED IN A CRIMINAL FAMILY AND THOSE OF THE CRIMINAL RAISED IN A CRIME-FREE FAMILY MILIEU ARE RESEARCHED.
Abstract
FOR PURPOSES OF THIS STUDY, A CRIMINAL IS DEFINED AS AN INDIVIDUAL WITH AN OFFICIAL RECORD OF A CONVICTION FOR AN OFFENSE AGAINST THE PENAL CODE. SUBJECTS WERE SELECTED FROM 1,944 CONSECUTIVE MALE BIRTHS, JANUARY 1, 1936 TO SEPTEMBER 30, 1938 AT RIGSHOSPITALET IN COPENHAGEN, DENMARK. FOUR GROUPS WERE FORMED: CRIMINAL FATHER-CRIMINAL SON (N-26); CRIMINAL FATHER-NONCRIMINAL SON (N-24); NONCRIMINAL FATHER-CRIMINAL SON (N-20); AND NONCRIMINAL FATHER-NONCRIMINAL SON (N-24). THE FOUR GROUPS WERE MATCHED FOR SEX AND AGE. WHEREVER POSSIBLE, SUBJECTS WERE CHOSEN TO INSURE MAXIMUM EQUIVALENCE OF THE GROUPS FOR SOCIAL CLASS OF THE FATHER AT THE TIME OF THE BIRTH OF THE SON. THE INTELLIGENCE OF THE SUBJECTS WAS TESTED WITH THE DANISH VERSION OF THE WECHSLER ADULT INTELLIGENCE SCALE. PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL RECORDING WAS MADE USING AN OFFNER-BECKMAN TYPE R DYNOGRAPH, WITH COUPLERS BUILT ESPECIALLY FOR THE PROJECT. THIS PROCEDURE MEASURED THE SPEED OF ELECTRODERMAL RECOVERY (EDREC) IN THE SUBJECTS. IT WAS HYPOTHESIZED THAT HIGH INTELLIGENCE WOULD TEND TO RESULT IN REWARDS FOR PERFORMANCE IN SCHOOL, THUS INDICATING CONFORMANCE TO THE EXPECTATIONS OF AUTHORITY FIGURES, AND FAST ELECTRODERMAL RECOVERY WOULD INDICATE THE CAPACITY TO LEARN THE CONTROL OF ASOCIAL IMPULSES UNDER THE STIMULI OF REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS. RESULTS SHOWED CRIMINAL SONS HAVING LOWER INTELLIGENCE QUOTIENT (IQ) SCORES THAN THE NONCRIMINAL SONS; HOWEVER, THE IQ SCORES FOR CRIMINAL SONS OF NONCRIMINAL FATHERS WERE NOT UNUSUALLY LOW. IT IS CONCLUDED, THEREFORE, THAT LOW INTELLIGENCE CANNOT BE CITED AS A PERSONAL CHARACTERISTIC INCREASING THE LIKELIHOOD OF CRIMINALITY OF SONS IN A NONCRIMINAL MILIEU. IN THE AREA OF PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY, THE LAW-ABIDING GROUP WITH PATERNAL CRIMINALITY WAS NOTED FOR VERY FAST EDREC, THUS SUPPORTING THE MAIN THRUST OF THE HYPOTHESIS THAT HIGH INTELLIGENCE AND FAST EDREC ARE PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS CONTRIBUTING TO NONCRIMINAL BEHAVIOR IN AN OPPOSING ENVIRONMENT. CRIMINAL SONS OF NONCRIMINAL FATHERS EVIDENCED A POOR COMBINATION OF INTELLIGENCE AND EDREC. (RCB)