Craig was raised without a father, but his mother, Donna, a strong Christian lady, always loved her son. Because she was a single parent, Craig was often left with babysitters while she worked two jobs or was involved in her prison ministry. When the sitter could not be there on some days, Donna’s neighbor Steve, who worked from home, would take him and not charge her. Donna was always grateful for the extra help and in return baked bread and pies for Steve. What Donna did not know, of course, was that Steve was molesting and raping Craig, who was 6 years old. Craig could not tell his mother of his terror of going to Steve’s house because Steve warned him that if he ever told anyone Steve would kill the puppy that was living in his home. Little Craig loved that puppy, so he never told. At age 11, Craig began setting fires that escalated over the years. At age 13, he was raped by a 26-year-old male. Craig engaged in other crimes, including stealing a police car at age 15, impersonating a police officer, sexual assault on a 12-year-old boy, prostitution, theft, and burglary. He took trophies from his favorite fire crimes by going to the crime scenes at night looking for anything he could add to his collection. Eventually he was apprehended and confessed to the fires and went to prison for several years. He is now back on the streets and has had considerable difficulty in keeping jobs for more than a few months. Craig is determined not to return to prison. He currently resides with his aging mother.
Analyze your selected case study:
- What demographics or risk factors (e.g., acute, direct, proxy, short and long-term) are involved that may have contributed to the person becoming a victim or offender?
- How are the demographics or risk factors for becoming a criminal and victim related? How are they different? How would the demographics or risk factors vary in another country?
- If an individual reflects the data supporting the likelihood of becoming a criminal or victim, does that guarantee the outcome?
- Support your responses with evidence from the Learning Resources or other academic material.
