Soc 304( Sociology of Crime and Social Control)

Criminal Behavior
Criminal behavior is a function of norms which are discriminative for criminal behavior, the learning of which takes place when such behavior is more highly reinforced than noncriminal behavior.

Serious Psychiatric Illness
Criminal behavior is not, itself, indicative of mental illness. If it were, perhaps it could be treated medically. However, some criminals are motivated to engage in illegal and antisocial behavior by underlying psychiatric conditions, especially those conditions that manifest themselves in symptoms such as lack of impulse control and lack of inhibition, hallucinations and delusions, paranoias , hyper-activity, and inability to concentrate or possession of impaired communication skills.
Persons suffering from personality disorders, bipolar affective disorder, aggression, depression, adjustment disorders, and sexual disorders such as paraphilias are prone to criminal behavior.
Illegal conduct can also stem from drug- or alcohol-induced psychosis or conditions caused by traumatic brain injury.
It might be easier for such persons to hide their mental illness in the online community, where they don't have to come into physical contact with others, than in the offline world. 
Cybercrime that is motivated by psychiatric illness can be difficult to investigate and solve, precisely because the criminal's motivations don't seem logical or rational. We can understand why a money-motivated offender commits crimes, even though we don't approve of the behavior. However, we might not be able to easily understand the actions of a mental.
Psychological theories of crime say that criminal behavior is a result of individual differences in thinking processes. There are many different psychological theories, but they all believe that it is the person's thoughts and feelings that dictate their actions. As such, problems in thinking can lead to criminal behavior. 
Take Ahmed, for example, he doesn't believe that what he did was wrong, which was what led him to act out in the first place.
There are four basic ideas when it comes to psychological theories of crime. These general assumptions are that crime is a result of:

1. Failures in psychological development:
Some people run into trouble because they didn't develop, or grow, the way that others normally do.
 For example, Ahmed has an underdeveloped conscience. Whereas Zainab hears a little voice inside her reminding her what is right and wrong, Ahmed just does what he wants and doesn't think about right or wrong. This is an example of what happens when someone has an issue with psychological development.

2. Learned behaviors of aggression and violence:
If someone is surrounded by violence and aggression, they are more likely to become violent and aggressive themselves, because they have learned that those behaviors are okay. 
For example, Ahmed comes from a very abusive household, and his violent parents taught him that it's normal to work out your frustrations by being violent against others.

3. Inherent personality traits
There are some characteristics that criminals tend to share with each other, and some psychologists believe that there are certain personality traits that predispose someone towards criminal behavior. 
For example, even as a baby, Ahmed liked to seek out dangerous and exciting activities. Zainab is happy to stay at home with a book; that's enough excitement for her. But, Ahmed likes danger, which could lead him to act recklessly and perhaps in criminal ways.

4. Relationship of criminality to mental illness
Some people with psychological disorders end up committing crimes. While this isn't the case for all people with mental illness, there are a higher than normal percentage of criminals with mental illness.
For example Ahmed has been diagnosed with a personality disorder, which means that he feels less empathy than the others.
All these psychological factors could have an effect on someone like Ahmed, who then ends up a criminal.