Criminals addicted to buzz of breaking the law
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.CRIMINALS CAN become addicted to the buzz of committing crimes in the same way that people can develop a dependency on drink or drugs, a medical criminologist told the British Association.
Crimes ranging from murder and terrorism to lesser offences, such as burglary and joyriding, can all create a level of excitement that some people find irresistible, said John Hodge, head of professional practice at Rampton Hospital, Nottinghamshire.
"Some criminal activity may be best understood by a kind of addictive process. The notion concerns the fact that they get more tied up with the excitement, stimulation and the buzz of committing the crime itself," said Mr Hodge.
Traditional explanations for serial crime have focused on the idea of a "psychopathic" personality, but another view is that some people are merely more susceptible to becoming addicted to crime as a means of making them feel better.
A high proportion of crimes is committed by a small number of people, many of whom continue in spite of a high risk of being caught, added Mr Hodge. "Normal criminal motives such as financial gain or revenge do not seem sufficient to explain this," he told the science festival.
The new notion of crime being addictive has so far failed to produce any statistics in the degree to which it affects criminal behaviour, but rehabilitation should take into account the addictive nature of crime - already part of the treatment for sex offenders, added Mr Hodge.
"It is vital that the experience criminals have in prison does not reinforce addiction, because sitting in a cell with nothing to do gives lots of time to consolidate thoughts."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments