The personality of young offenders influenced by dysfunctional parental behavior and domestic violence

• In Event: Gender and parenting as sites of juvenile justice intervention

Abstract

This study presents a criminological analysis of the personality of 20 young people, hospitalized for very serious crimes in the Craiova Detention Center, who experienced psychological trauma, neglect and corporal punishment in childhood, being victims of family violence. The paper also analyzes the antecedent factors that may represent the antisocial cognitive potential, discussing issues related to hyperactivity, lack of self-control and increased impulsivity at the time of committing the act, the influence of intoxication with psychoactive substances, the presence of delinquent friends in the neighborhood, school dropout and conduct disorder. The interview method was agreed upon by all participants.
The research highlights the fact that participants who were victims of childhood maltreatment were prone to inappropriate behavior at school, preferred risky activities and consumed psychoactive substances and alcohol before reaching the age of 14.
Life experiences in the criminogenic environment of parents and the lack of emotional empathy influenced the antisocial behavior of adolescents and moral decisions at the time of committing the criminal act. The research claims that the moral function did not develop, with participants admitting that they often imitated the behavior of delinquent friends, accepting their lifestyle. Participants claim that in the period preceding the commission of the crimes they had depressive disorders and in some cases suicidal ideation.

Author

• Camil Tanasescu, "Dimitrie Cantemir" Christian University Bucharest, Faculty of Law