Exploring effects of psycho-bio-social risk factors on later offending

Abstract

Different perspectives in criminology have explored how potential risk factors affect delinquency and criminal behavior over the life-course. Although many scholars look at risk factors individually and estimate how they may affect future criminal involvement, an emerging school of thought has proposed that risk factors may work in tandem to affect future criminality. This emerging line of research uses a cumulative approach to the study of crime, considering the role of multiple risk factors on criminal involvement. This study aims at using a cumulative stressor approach to look at the effect of summative biosocial, psychopathological, and family risk factors on later offending. To do so, a sample of high-risk offenders is used to estimate the role of cumulative biosocial, psychological, and family-related risk factors of violent and non-violent offending. The results suggest that biosocial and family risk factors seem to significantly predict offending frequency, while psychopathologies seem to have a crime-reducing effect. Additionally, offenders with more biosocial and family risk factors seem to offend more seriously and at a higher frequency.