Gender, Age, and Computer Crime

Austin DickeyCRJU 3305

Dr. Rebecca Petersen

Introduction• What constitutes computer crime?• The effects Gender and Age have on computer related

crime.• ‘Slow to engage’ criminological community. • Dominant criminological theories• General Theory of Crime • Social Learning Theory

• Does Gender and Age have a significant role in computer related crime?• Overall etiology of computer crime.

Interviewee – Andy Green• Lecturer of Information Security and Assurance at

Kennesaw State University• Skills & Expertise include: Information Security policy

development, Firewall development/implementation, and Penetration testing. • Gender gap at university level

Computer Related Crime• Intellectual Property• Illegal downloading of software

• Counterfeit Crime• Trading counterfeit items through websites

• Illegal use of others’ Resident Registration Number (RNN)• Unauthorized access to gain/view/alter accounts and

files.• Since computer crime is constantly evolving, there is

no consensus on its definition since technology is perpetually advancing and changing.

Articles used• Gender, General Theory of Crime and Computer Crime

• Study of 2,751 Korean youths• Applicability of the general theory of crime in explaining gender gap

• From the car boot to booting it up? eBay, online counterfeit crime and the transformation of the criminal marketplace• 10 males who were gathered from a range of different contacts

• A Social Learning Theory Analysis of Computer Crime Among College Students• Study of 581 students at a southern university over the occurrence

of five illegal computer activities (piracy, guessing passwords, unauthorized access to change information, gain unauthorized access to browse, writing/using viruses that destroy data.

Review of Literature• Generally males who are young adults• Current research provides mixed support for the factors

that result in this• Largely dependent on opportunities such as hours spent using

a computer.• Low self-control due to parental practice

• It is widely recognized that boys engage in deviant and criminal behaviors far more frequently than girls. • Dominant criminological theories

• General Theory of Crime • Social Learning Theory

‘Slow to engage’ criminological community• Not many studies have been done.• Changes in the traditional criminal marketplaces have

required criminologists to engage with the third space (outside traditional physical boundaries.)• Slowly countering with studies charting a range of

online criminality incorporating topics such as cyber-stalking, and web-based ’football hooliganism’ through to the trading of counterfeit automotive components.• Still struggle with incorporating the online world into

traditional ways of thinking and theorizing.

Dominant Criminological Theories• Self-control theory of crime is synonymous with General

Theory of Crime• Individuals establish their main sense of self-control during the ages

of 8 to 10 and remains relatively stable throughout one’s life.• Numerous studies have been conducted to test whether these

dominant criminological theories help to explain the gender gap in traditional computer deviant behaviors as well as the etiology of female deviance.• These findings are generally supportive of the generality of traditional

criminology theories in explaining deviant behaviors across gender.

• Regarding gender gap in computer crime, empirical studies consistently indicate that boys are more likely than girls to engage in various types of computer crime.

Dominant Criminological Theories• Social Learning Theory• One of the major theories of deviance and crime• Has four major concepts: differential association, differential

reinforcement/punishment, definitions, and imitation.• Who you associate with and how you let them effect you can

lead to computer crime and deviance.• Spending a lot of time online growing up• Easier than you think

Does Gender and Age have a significant role in computer related crime?• Males significantly play a larger role in computer related

crimes than females do.• General Age is that of young men who are in their teens to

late 20s (even older in other cases)• Self-control theory predicted illegal use of others’ RRN online

for both boys and girls.• Low self-control being a dominant criminogenic factor in the theory

fails establish a relationship between gender and computer crime related to illegal downloading of software.

• These findings consistently inform us that engagement in computer crime is largely dependent on opportunities such as hours spent on using a computer.• Future research should measure diverse aspects of opportunity.

Policy Implications• Research can be hard to perform as data can be

difficult to collect.• Technology is constantly changing and with that so are

laws.• Criminological communities need to start revising their

current ways of thinking and classifying computer criminals and their behavior as times change.• Policies are beginning to be created and revised as

new studies are performed.• Help define computer crime and what general theories can

be applied to predict behavior amongst groups

Conclusion• So does Gender and Age have a significant impact on

computer related crimes?• Empirically? – Not quite• Anecdotally – Absolutely• Not enough current studies• Different variables/methods/motives• A case of old wine, new bottles

Bibliography• Green, Andy. (2013, November). Personal Interview. Professor of Information

and Security Assurance. Kennesaw, GA. agreen57@Kennesaw.edu• Moon, B., McCluskey, J. D., McCluskey, C. P., & Lee, S. (2013). International

Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology. Gender, General Theory of Crime and Computer Crime: An Empirical Test, 57(4), doi: 10.1177/0306624X11433784

• Skinner, W. F., & Fream, A. M. (1997). Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency. A Social Learning Theory Analysis of Computer Crime among College Students, 34(4), doi: 10.1177/0022427897034004005.

• Treadwell, J. (2012). Criminology and Criminal Justice. From the car boot to booting it up? eBay, online counterfeit crime and the transformation of the criminal marketplace, 12(2), doi: 10.1177/1748895811428173