U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Some Criminogenic Traits of Offenders (From Crime and Public Policy, P 31-49, 1983, James Q Wilson, ed. - See NCJ-91045)

NCJ Number
91047
Author(s)
R J Herrnstein
Date Published
1983
Length
19 pages
Annotation
The people who are most at risk for criminal behavior differ significantly from the general population with respect to their body build, personality, and intelligence.
Abstract
Sheldon and Eleanor Glueck found that delinquents were more mesomorphic (muscular and squarish) in their physiques than were nondelinquents. The delinquents were also assertive, unafraid, aggressive, unconventional, extroverted, and poorly assimilated into the social milieu. In contrast, nondelinquents were self-controlled, concerned about their relations with others, willing to be guided by social standards, and harbored such feelings as insecurity and anxiety. Later studies have shown that delinquents also have tendencies towards careless, haphazard, and impulsive reactions. Further research has corroborated these findings and has shown that the differences between offenders and nonoffenders do not result from institutionalization. Other data show that in the United States and the United Kingdom, the criminal population has an average IQ deficit of at least 10 points. However, individuals are not simply criminals or noncriminals. Everyone acts according to laws of behavior that can produce either crime or noncrime, depending upon circumstances and predispositions. Poor law enforcement, long delays in the criminal justice system, inadequate teaching of society's standards of conduct, inadequate education for the less gifted, and socioeconomic inequities that intensify feelings of alienation are among the factors that incubate crime, particularly among those with special susceptibilities.

Downloads

No download available

Availability