7-2: Describe behavioral and environmental factors that lead to criminality

Competency

In this project, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following competency:

• Describe behavioral and environmental factors that lead to criminality

Scenario

You are a lead criminal profiler assigned to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Behavioral Analysis Unit. Last week, you were selected to be a presenter at the International Homicide Investigators Conference in Washington, D.C. that will be held in two months. You will be discussing serial killers in America. At your speaking engagement, you will discuss two case studies derived from the scholarly journal article, Serial Murder in America: Case Studies of Seven Offenders. You will provide an expert opinion as to which criminological theories most likely explain the criminal behavior and which theories apply to the offender based upon the case study. You will focus on comparing and contrasting not only the theories and application of the theories for each case, but also any behavioral, sociological, and environmental factors in each.

Directions

Using the provided scenario and resource, choose two case studies to focus on for your speaking engagement. (Note: It is important to consider the theories and their application when reading and selecting the cases to use for this project. Some theories may not be applicable to certain cases.)

For each case, do the following:

1. 1. Describe the criminal behavior present in each case. Include the following in your description:
      1. Identify the case.
      2. Provide a brief summary of the case, focusing on the criminal behavior.
   2. Describe how the classical school of thought has influenced criminal justice practices specific to each case. Include the following in your analysis:
      1. How has classical theory impacted the criminal justice system in regard to the criminal behavior, laws, and policies in each case?
   3. Analyze the criminal behavior in each case by focusing on how the positivist school of thought (biological, psychological, sociological theories) has influenced criminal justice practices. Include the following in your analysis:
      1. Which theory in each category (biological, psychological, and sociological) is most applicable to the case?
      2. How may this theory influence criminal justice practices in relation to the criminal behavior in the case?
   4. Explain how critical and interactionist theories interpret social structures and influence professional practice specific to each case. Include the following in your explanation:
      1. What are the social structures and professional practices identified in the case?
      2. Which critical and interactionist theory is most applicable to the case?
      3. How may critical and interactionist theories influence professional practices in the case?
   5. Explain the similarities and differences between the two cases you chose. Include the following in your explanation:
      1. Which theories are used to analyze each case?
      2. How is the application of theories similar or different in the cases?
      3. How are behavioral and environmental factors similar or different in the cases?

What to Submit

To complete this project, you must submit the following:

For this assignment, you will create a presentation. Choose the format that works best for you. This could include one or more of the following: poster, handout, presentation slides, brochure, written description, or video. Whichever format you choose, your submission should address the rubric criteria listed above.

Any sources should be cited according to APA style.

An optional template (linked in the Supporting Materials section) has been created to assist you in completing this project.

Supporting Materials

The following resource(s) may help support your work on the project:

Document: Project Two Template Word Document (Optional)
While this template is not required to complete your project, you may find it helpful.