WJEC Level 3 Applied Certificate & Diploma Criminology sample

AC3.1 ANALYSE SITUATIONS OF CRIMINALITY Relevant theories of criminality – Fred West Social learning theory If the rumours about Fred’s mother introducing him to sex at an early age are true, this may account for the methods and brutality of his crimes later in life. There was a focus on rape and sexual torture, which suggests that he was heavily influenced by his mother who acted as a role model. Freud’s personality theory It could be argued that Fred was unable to progress from the pleasure-seeking id to the reality principle where the ego is dominant. He continued to need instant gratification from his sexual acts. Brain damage Given the brain damage that Fred received as a result of his motorcycle accident, it may be that this provides a biological reason for his criminality. Research has shown that damage to the pre-frontal cortex area of the brain can impact on a person’s ability to control their impulsive behaviour. Fred may have been unable to resist the urge for sexual gratification. CASE STUDY NICK LEESON Nick Leeson is known as the man whose fraudulent, unauthorised speculative trading caused the collapse of Barings Bank, the UK’s oldest merchant bank. Initially, he was very successful, making large profits for the bank and huge bonuses for himself. However, his luck ran out in 1995 when a secret file, Error Account 88888, showed that he had gambled away £827 million in Baring’s name. In his autobiography, Leeson (1997) states, ‘We were all driven to make profits, profits, and more profits ... I was the rising star.’ it was also said of him that he was a high-flyer who liked to dabble in dare-devil trades. Nick Leeson 111