Crime and Chaos: Applying Nonlinear Dynamic Principles to Problems in Criminology

Holism, nonlinear dynamics, sensitive dependence on initial conditions, and selforganization are examined in an effort to determine whether these concepts have applicability to research and theory on crime, criminals, and the criminal justice system. It is concluded that these concepts, all part of a growing science of chaos, show promise of clarifying conflicting empirical findings and resolving important theoretical issues within the general field of criminology. The topics covered in this article include empiricism and the problem of prediction, the reconciliation of polar opposites, reaffirming choice, and learning and socialization. A case example is used to illustrate how a chaotic interpretation of individual criminal behavior and change differs from the traditional positivist, classical, and rehabilitative perspectives. Nonlinear dynamical systems theory, better known as chaos, has been used to explain such elusive and diverse phenomena as human brain waves (Basar, 1990), cardiac arrhythmias (May, 1989), ecosystems (Bak & Chen, 1991), international relations (Grossmann & Mayer-Kress, 1989), and the New York stock exchange (Corcoran, 1991). Insomuch as chaos appears to have clarified the behavior of inorganic systems, the next logical step would seem to be an examination of its ability to elucidate the behavior of organic, in this case, criminal, systems. Being a systems theory, chaos focuses on relationships between variables and seeks to explain how these variables interact to form larger systems of influence. This article will consider whether principles borrowed from chaos theory can help clarify several long-standing problems in criminology. First, however, crime must be defined and key chaotic concepts described. DEFINING CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR There is probably no definition of crime that will satisfy all criminologists. The present definition is therefore offered with the understanding that it suffers from obvious limitations. Crime will be defined in this article as a quantifiable behavNOTE: The assertions and opinions contained herein are the private views of the author and should not be construed as official or as reflecting the views of the Federal Bureau of Prisons or U.S. Department