Steve is the primary suspect in a case involving the sale anddistribution of methamphetamine. He is a 21-year-old Caucasian malewho has never been in a committed relationship. He has no childrenand is the youngest of three brothers, all of whom live at homewith their mother, who works two full-time jobs to support thefamily. He was born and raised in a rural community with closeaccess to a larger city. His father and both uncles areincarcerated for sale and distribution of cocaine. He looks up tohis father and has regular contact with him. His older brother istransient, often absent from the home for weeks at a time. Hisyounger brother is in high school—they are close. He goes toCatholic Mass about once a month and is close with the parishpriest, who has been a mentor for the past 10 years.
Steve does not use drugs, preferring to sell them. He is a heavyconsumer of alcohol, which caused early-stage liver dysfunction. Hemaintains a social media account, open for public view, where heposts about being frequently angry. He has both a juvenile andadult arrest record for minor crimes such as shoplifting andpossession of a controlled substance for personal use. He issuspected of sales with intent to distribute because he wasphotographed at a known drop house on 12 occasions, staying forseveral hours each time. His fingerprints were found on meth labequipment after a search warrant was served at that house.
After reading the Module One Discussion Scenario,address the following: What influences a person’s motivation tocommit a crime? Think about developmental, biological, andsituational factors that contribute to the person’sbehavior.
