Examining the Causes and Consequences of Criminal Behavior

Project Information

CRIME

Grant agreement ID: 101030220

DOI

10.3030/101030220

Project closed

EC signature date 4 March 2021

Start date 1 September 2022

End date 1 December 2024

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 191 852,16

EU contribution

€ 191 852,16

Coordinated by

OREBRO UNIVERSITY
Sweden

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - CRIME (Examining the Causes and Consequences of Criminal Behavior)

Reporting period: 2022-09-01 to 2024-08-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Criminal behavior is a significant public health issue with heavy social and economic burdens, including the costs of criminal justice adjudication, compensation for victims and families, as well as collateral impacts on communities. This project adds value to an area of importance that the EU has already identified as a strategic priority: promoting the European way of life by providing justice and fundamental rights, particularly within the criminal justice realm. The importance of identifying the causes and consequences of criminal behavior is paramount to developing better tools for intervention and prevention programs as well as improving risk assessments. This project utilizes a biopsychosocial criminological approach to identify etiological risk factors for criminal behavior as well as the consequences of such behavior on life outcomes.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

To date, support from the MSCA has contributed to 4 publications and 4 conference presentations, with additional manuscripts and presentations under review or forthcoming. The publications and dissemination/exploitation efforts are provided below:

PUBLICATIONS WITH FELLOW AS FIRST AUTHOR OR CO-AUTHOR:
1) Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis responsivity during adolescence in relation to psychopathic personality traits later in life - published as open access in Acta Psychologica
2) Interaction of Resting Heart Rate with Empathy in Predicting Externalizing Behavior - published as open access in Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment
3) The association between depression and crime outcomes: A Swedish population-based study - published as open access in Journal of Criminal Justice
4) Resting heart rate as a risk and protective factor for intrapersonal violence: A population-based study - published as open access in Journal of Criminal Justice
5) High Resting Heart Rate Reduces Risk of White-Collar Convictions - under review

PRESENTATIONS BY FELLOW:
1) American Society of Criminology
- Examining the Relationship between Heart Rate and Intrapersonal Aggression/Violence (2023)
- High Resting Heart Rate Reduces Risk of White-Collar Convictions (2024)

2) European Society of Criminology
- Examining the Relationship between Heart Rate and Intrapersonal Aggression/Violence (2023)

3) Western Society of Criminology
- High Resting Heart Rate Reduces Risk of White-Collar Convictions (accepted in 2024 for conference in 2025)

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

While work is ongoing, the gender and socioeconomic impact is anticipated to be meaningful in helping the criminal justice system fairer and more equitable. Based on the results so far, the project has contributed to a better understanding of overlapping risk factors among different types of violence (intrapersonal v. interpersonal), the relevance of various risk or protective factors during different time points of the lifespan in contributing to antisocial outcomes (e.g. psychopathy, criminal behavior), and how such risk factors may be differentially related to adverse outcomes (e.g. suicide) among individuals who have been involved in the criminal justice system. Altogether, these results have helped to advance the field in understanding contributing factors for criminal justice involvement, potential consequences of criminal behavior.

In order from left to right: Jerry Lee, Lawrence Sherman, Shichun Ling (fellow), and Adrian Raine