Ken Perenyi is known to be one of the best American Art forgers of all time who spent almost thirty years meticulously copying the paintings and various artwork of masterminds such as Rembrandt and Hieronymus Bosch. Many have differing views as to how or why Perenyi’s criminal actions began, but the risk factors present in Caveat Emptor: The Secret Life of an American Art Forger provide some insight into the early beginnings of the new life Ken Perenyi submerged himself into. Risk factors play an extremely significant role in determining the outcome of future behaviors for human beings. In Wrightsman’s Psychology and the Legal System, risk factors are divided into four categories: Antecedent Conditions, Early Indicators, Developmental Processes,…show more content… He stated that he was “chronically in trouble for daydreaming and drawing pictures” (Perenyi, 4). School was not his strong suit, and he did the bare minimum to pass from grade to grade. This is a major risk factor when it comes to criminal behavior. Perenyi’s mind was never focused on learning new material or studying for upcoming examinations but rather on strategizing ways to cheat off of his classmates or other irrelevant thoughts about the world outside his classroom. Though Ken did graduate the 9th grade and then enroll in a trade school, he had not retained any of the information from his many years of school and was “barely able to recite the alphabet”. This supports the effect of psychological predispositions among children who end up repeating criminal behavior in the later years of life. Ken Perenyi did display a lower IQ due to his lack of interest and drive when it came to his education. The behaviors displayed, as well as the lack of participation in school, show Ken as being an antisocial peer which has an effect on the chances of one performing criminal behavior in the long run. (Wrightsman,…show more content… (Wrightsman, 66) Perenyi’s lack of attention and interest in his education leads us to believe that he was somewhat of a delinquent. He barely passed from grade to grade, and decided to take the easier route of going to trade school rather than to finish four high school years. On top of that, he never had a job and when he gradated from trade school where he was meant to become a printer, he decided not to pursue that. These patterns of school failure, and occupational failure, along with the modeling of the artists and infamous people he was surrounding himself with, are all risk factors within the developmental processes, leading to a more intense repetitive nature of performing criminal behavior. (Wrightsman,