A cultural-ecological perspective on agency and offending behaviour

• Published in: Psychiatry, psychology, and law Vol. 26; no. 6; pp. 938 - 958
• Main Authors: Strauss-Hughes, Annalisa, Heffernan, Roxanne, Ward, Tony
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Routledge 01.12.2019; Australian Academic Press Group Pty Ltd
• Subjects: Behavior; Context effects (Psychology); Criminal justice; Cultural factors; Culture; dynamic risk factors; Evaluation; Forensic psychology; Human behavior; Marginality; Minorities; offender agency; Offending; Psychology; Risk behavior; Risk factors; Social aspects; Social conditions; NEW ZEALAND; culture; dynamic risk factors; offender agency
• ISSN: 1321-8719; 1934-1687
• DOI: 10.1080/13218719.2019.1644250

This article aims to outline briefly the important role of culture in the development of the human mind and behaviour, and therefore argues that cultural information is a key part of forensic explanation. We suggest that differing cultural experiences, such as marginalisation, contribute to the differential representation of individuals and groups in criminal justice systems. This occurs through several means, but we focus specifically on individual operation of agency in particular cultural contexts. Building on previous theoretical work, we present a preliminary model, the cultural-ecological predictive agency model. Through an exemplar, we show how this model might assist in understanding better the role of dynamic risk factors in individual behaviour, by locating and incorporating cultural-historical contexts and information.