NCJ Number
192971
Date Published
2002
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This study obtained information from sentenced local jail inmates regarding their criminal motivations and thought processes.
Abstract
A total of 103 sentenced male inmates from the Todd Road Jail, Santa Paula, California, were interviewed, using a 16-item questionnaire. Of the 103 inmates interviewed, 81 answered all of the questions. The interviews were conducted between October 1996 and March 1997. Participants ranged in age from 18 to 60. Drug offenses were committed by most of the subjects. Thirty-seven percent reported that their reason for committing their crime was a need for money to obtain drugs. Twenty-five percent stated that "excitement/thrill" was the primary motive for their criminal behavior. These offenders acknowledged that they did not think about the consequences of their actions, suggesting impulsive behavior. For those who chose "other" as their motivation for crime, responses included "maintaining a certain lifestyle," "under the influence," and "just wasn't thinking." Overall, the responses suggest that using drugs stimulates a person to act on impulse, thereby functioning in an unstable manner. Eighty-three percent of the inmates reported they did not plan their crime. Inmates' views of measures that would have prevented them from committing the crime included security measures, such as patrolling security officers, a civilian carrying a gun, closed-circuit cameras, and alarms on the property. These findings suggest the importance of drug/alcohol prevention and treatment programs, intervention for attention deficit disorder or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and the education of citizens about security measures. 26 references