Economic deprivation is not the reason for crime but may aggravate it; crime has increased along with living standards.
Criminality seems to be partly genetic; anti-social behaviour is linked to some personality types. Studies in East and West Europe, the USA and the Third World agree it is not cultural, though more permissive societies seem to have higher crime rates. 'Tough' behaviour may be related to the secretion of testosterone; high levels may produce psychopathic and psychotic disorders.
Psychoanalytic treatment does not reduce criminality. Prison needs to be re-educational, but the peer group setting makes this more difficult and may even strengthen criminal tendencies. It may be better to treat some (e.g. juvenile offenders) outside prison.
Psychopaths are in full possession of their faculties but lack any sense of morality, cannot resist temptation and are little influenced by fear of detection; the death penalty is ineffective as a deterrent.
Violent and callous behaviour and explicit and brutal sex becomes 'accepted' when freely seen - e.g. TV, films, videos. (cf. deconditioning phobias by small staged exposures.) There also seems to be less respect for the police and law given the many TV and film police and law series that depict rogue and corrupt aspects.
H. Eysenck: (book on psychology; my notes did not record title or date)
