Cognitive theories of crime

Yochelson and Samenow argue criminals are prone to ‘faulty thinking’ making more likely to commit crimes

Based on a long term study of 240 male offenders , most of whom had been admitted to a psychiatric hospital

Argue criminals show a range of errors and biases in their thinking and decision-making including: lying; super optimism; uniqueness; victim stance; and a need for power

Leads them to commit crime

Argues our ideas of right and wrong develop through a series of stages from to childhood-adulthood

At ‘pre-conventional’ or pre-moral level young children discover rights and wrongs by punishment and reward, whereas by adulthood ideas of right and wrong involve an understanding of underlying morals and values

Suggests criminals moral development is stuck at a less mature level than everyone else- thinking whether actions will result in reward or punishment rather than how it affects others

Cognitive theories that see delinquents thought patterns as different from those of normal people have led to range of treatments for offenders

These come under the general heading of CBT