CCJS 461 Project 1 Essay - 2007 Words

CCJS 461 7380 Psychology of Criminal Behavior Operant Conditioning in the Criminal Justice System July 12, 2015 Psychology plays a very important role in the field of criminal justice. It is needed to help assess individuals who commit crimes, as well as, help to be a predictor of criminal behavior. Utilizing theories such behaviorism and operant conditioning, individual behavior is able to be assessed by the response to learning what actions result in rewards and what actions result in punishment. As a result of how individuals respond to rewards and punishment, learned behaviors have the possibility to be deterred or corrected. Behaviorism Behaviorism is a very important foundational theory in psychology.†¦show more content†¦Operant conditioning applies to many areas in both everyday life and in the criminal justice system. If you are late to work every day to work or you don’t complete work that is assigned to you than you can be demoted, have a decrease in pay or possibly lose your job. All of these are consequences to behaviors that have been displayed over time. Applying operant conditioning to the criminal justice provides very useful information. It helps in the development of laws and regulations as well as determines reasons why individuals commit crimes. This theory can also, after study, possibly be a predictive of individuals who commit crimes and also provide ideas on how to deter criminal behavior. Criminal Statutes Criminal statutes are enacted by federal and local governments in order to deter criminal behaviors and activities in order to protect citizens. Laws and statutes were developed in order to ensure that citizens act in an appropriate manner or face the consequences of their actions. They also reflect expectations of appropriate and inappropriate behaviors that have been set for local, state, and federal governments. Operant conditioning applies to the enactment of criminal statutes in many ways. Society has been studied to determine what acceptable and unacceptable behaviors are. As a result of these studies and the enactment of statutes, they have identified those actions by citizens that are not desirable or dangerousShow MoreRelatedOperant Conditioning in the Criminal Ju Essay2660 Words   |  11 Pagesï » ¿ Operant Conditioning in the Criminal Justice System Z. M. Keys Psychology of Criminal Behavior CCJS 461 17 October 2014 The only way to tell whether a given event is reinforcing to a given organism under given conditions is to make a direct test. We observe the frequency of a selected response, then make an event contingent upon it and observe any change in frequency. If there is a change, we classify the event as reinforcing to the organism under the existing conditions

Serial Killers and Mass Murderers - 2058 Words

Thomas Blankenship 6 April 2000 Mrs. Waggener English II Mass Murderers and Serial Killers Mass Murderers and Serial Killers are nothing new to todays society. These vicious killers are all violent, brutal monsters and have an abnormal urge to kill. What gives people these urges to kill? What motivates them to keep killing? Do these killers get satisfaction from killing? Is there a difference between mass murderers and serial killers or are they the same. How do they choose their victims and what are some of their characteristics? These questions and many more are reasons why I was eager to write my paper on mass murderers and serial killers. However, the most interesting and sought after questions are the ones that have†¦show more content†¦Most serial killers are white males between the ages of 25 and 35 years old with an intelligence level of average or higher. They also tend to be married with children and have a career (Serial 1). They also seem to have a childhood past of being physically and sexually abused and are from broken homes. As children, they often wet the bed, were infatuated with masturbation, were cruel to animals, and liked playing with fire. Because of their childhood, they often develop a psychopathic nature and do not know how to feel sympathy or be in a relationship (Scott 2). Because of their insecurity, a compulsive need to feel like they are in authority becomes a vital part of their well-being, even at the cost of others lives. As Americans look back at the past one hundred years, we stand in awe while looking at the drastic increase in crime. However, at the same time we have a hunger for knowledge of these crimes as we search for and interesting theory. People want to know every detail of the most brutal crimes, and moreover, how they were committed. Angie cannon insists that this is because people want to believe that it cannot happen to themselves. We want to know how these unspeakable acts were committed, to convince ourselves that we are immune from the same wretched fait (Cannon 1). Lee Ross also states a similar theory, which indicates that Every suicide is unconsciously a suicide andShow MoreRelatedCharacteristics Of Mass Murderers And Serial Killers1019 Words   |  5 PagesMass Murderers and Serial Killers are nothing new to today’s society. These vicious killers are are generally vicious, fierce beasts and have an unusual inclination to murder. The questions that people ask about se rial killers and mass murderers are what gives these people the desire to kill? What inspires them to continue murdering? Do these killers get fulfillment from slaughtering? Is there a contrast between mass murderers and serial killers or would people say they are the same? How do theyRead MoreTed Bundy And Charles Manson : The Characteristics Of Serial Killers And Mass Murderers1550 Words   |  7 PagesWhat makes a murderer? The mind of someone who commits such heinous crimes has never really been diagnosed. The chromosomal patterns have yet to be determined. So what causes someone to kill? Are serial killers and mass murderers more of a product of their own upbringing and environment or of delusional thoughts from a chemical imbalance? Someone who kills is an obsessed individual who lacks a conscience and who has no remorse. All the known characteristics of someone who kills point to somethingRead More The Truth About Serial and Mass Murders Essay1033 Words   |  5 Pages A murderer is a murderer. There is no doubt about it, a person like that deserves to be punished for the crime they committed. However, not every killer is the same; there are some who are mass murderers who go on killing rampages for reasons of their own, and then there are the serial killers that love to kill people because it makes them feel some sort of emotion. People often mistake these killers as one and the same, but in reality they are completely different in the ways they are profiledRead MoreEssay Are Serial Killers Born or Made?1560 Words   |  7 PagesEvidence that was gathered from books such as â€Å"Inside the Minds of Mass Murderers† and â€Å"Inside the Minds of Serial Killers,† both written by Kathertine Ramsland, provide information and evidence that killers are in fact made, not born. Some of the reasons that people believe that killers are made and not born are due to research by many psychiatrists on serial killers and mass murderers who are on death roe that have committed some of the most heinous crimes. One argument is that there is a set ofRead MoreSerial Killers1314 Words   |  6 Pages like serial killers, and what drives them to do what they do. Many scientists are still researching whether or not if serial killers are driven by the way they were raised or if it is a part of their genes. This literature review will analyze what people think about the nature versus nurture debate. It will talk about the nature side and the nurture side of the debate. What is a serial killer? Eric Hickey (2012) in â€Å"Serial Killers: Defining Serial Murder† defines what a serial killer is exactlyRead MoreThe Is The Scientific Study Of Mental Disorders Essay848 Words   |  4 Pagesbut are deceitful and manipulative. The word psychopath is broad and covers a range of behaviors, so it is further broken down into subcategories throughout this paper. The subcategories are; malignant narcissism, sadism, sexual sadism, and serial murderers. Malignant narcissists are predatory individuals. They display egocentric antisocial aggression, voice distrust, and show feelings of rejection. Their goals are to feel the gratification from vengeful or sexual fantasies. Fantasies play a largeRead MoreSerial Killers And Murderers : How Can You Tell A Normal Person?844 Words   |  4 Pages2016 Serial Killers and Murderers How can you tell a normal person from a person who is chemically imbalanced? When you are walking in a crowd, do you ever wonder what is going on through these people’s minds? Who are they? Have they ever killed anyone? This is what we are going to talk about, the mind of a murderer. There are many types of murderers. There are mass murderers, spree killers, and serial killers. A mass murderer kills multiple people at one time in one place. A spree killer killsRead MoreCharles Manson Essay1297 Words   |  6 Pagesorchestration of seven gruesome murders in Los Angeles, California. Whats even more shocking than the murder scenes, was the fact that Manson did not perpetrate any of the murders himself, but instead convinced others to commit the crimes for him: the murderers had been done by the Manson Family, a cult Manson himself had created. Manson’s total control over his followers marked him as a manipulative and cunning psychopath, however the development of his cult was largely due to the 1960s counter-cultureRead MoreThe Murder Of Serial Killers1703 Words   |  7 PagesA grieving mother drapes herself over the casket of her deceased son. The 14 year old had fallen victim to one of the most infamous serial killers in history, Jeffrey Dahmer. Dahmer killed a total of 17 known victims, all between the ages of 14 and 33. In his most recent murders, he often resorted to necrophilia, cannibalism, and permanent preservation of body parts (â€Å"Jeffrey Dahmer Biography†). The mother looks at what is left of her son’s face, the face that once smiled to her every morning beforeRead MorePerry Smith: A Passion to Kill1354 Words   |  6 PagesSerial killers have long eluded law enforcement while simultaneously grabbing the attention of the public, and now more than ever, criminal psychologists are beginning to understand what makes a serial killer. In his true-crime documentary, In Cold Blood, Truman Capote depicts the horrifying murders of four members of the Clutter family and the search to find the criminals responsible for the deaths. Eventually, two killers are caught, one being Perry Smith, a detached and emotionless man. And although

Hamlet Essay About The Ghost Example For Students

Hamlet Essay About The Ghost HamletThe work that I wish to discuss is Tom Stoppards play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead as a scholarly work in regards to William Shakespeares Hamlet, which is included in Sven Birkets Literature: The Evolving Canon. I believe that the most important issues in the play are the psychological issues involved. How do two relatively unimportant characters in Shakespeares play interpret what is going on around them? What is the audiences response? What role do the Players hold in each of the two works? As an authority on Shakespearean works, I would consider Stoppards play to be very enriching in both the interpretation of Hamlet as well as the consideration of what role Hamlet plays in modern society. Aside from that, the play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead addresses issues of isolation, sanity, depression, and luck that are not necessarily supposed to be related to Hamlet. I think that looking deeply into Stoppards work will reveal many ideas about Shakespeare as well as valuable insights to the changing of the literary times. I think that Tom Stoppard intentionally related the characters of Hamlet and of Rosencrantz between the two plays. Hamlet being the serious one and Rosencrantz being the light-hearted easy going fellow. I.e.: The Life in a Box monologue, in which Rosencrantz blunders through very serious psychological issues. A deep investigation into the two works will bring out these issues, as well as many more.