There are many reasons that a person commits a crime. There are multiple schools of thought when it comes to crime and the offender. Are they born predisposed to commit crime or are they taught the behaviors required to break the law? Of these many aspects we often ignore the possibility that genetics and our biological make up may be in part to blame for a person’s decision to violate the law.
When a police detective begins to investigate a crime they must try to determine why the crime was committed, which will in turn help them develop a potential suspect. Often we see that crime is committed by strangers so the connection will be difficult to make. However, once a suspect is identified and arrested the detective must prepare for court and part of that preparation is determining why the suspect chose to commit the crime. Genetics is one reason that people may choose to violate the law. During his research Adrian Raine identified one potential gene that when altered could cause a person to become antisocial and commit crimes (Bartol & Bartol, 2014, Pg. 65). The gene that was identified was the monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) gene, it was discovered that if they removed the gene from a mouse it would become aggressive (Bartol & Bartol, 2014, Pg. 65).
Researchers have also identified at least seven genes that are associated with antisocial behavior (Bartol & Bartol, 2014, Pg. 65). These genes have the ability to alter the make-up of the brain which in turn can affect the decision making processes of the individual (Bartol & Bartol, 2014, Pg. 65). Throughout time we have recognized that some people are just different, their brains do not function on the same level as others and this can lead to antisocial and aggressive beha...
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...s can create an environment in which a person may cross the line into a violent or antisocial lifestyle. There are also possibilities that there are biological reasons a person may become a criminal. As in any research you must address and accept all possibilities, and you cannot dismiss one without proof.
References
Anderson, W. R. (2001). Biological predisposition of aggressive & violent behavior. Futurics, 25(1), 72-76. Retrieved January 19, 2014, from http://search.proquest.com/docview/219838943?accountid=159007
Bartol, C., & Bartol, A. (2014). Criminal behavior a psychological approach. (10th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
Criminologist believes violent behavior is biological. (2013, April 30). Retrieved January 19, 2014, from http://www.npr.org/2013/05/01/180096559/criminologist-believes-violent-behavior-is-biological
Crime causation began to be a focus of study in the rapidly developing biological and behavioral sciences during the 19th century. Early biological theories proposed that criminal behavior is rooted in biology and based on inherited traits. Cesare Lombroso (1836-1909), an Italian army prison physician, coined the term “atavism” to describe “the nature of the criminal”...
Nature vs. nurture has been one of the oldest and most debated topics among psychologists over the years. This concept discusses whether a child is born into this world with their developmental work cut out for them or if a child is a “blank slate” and their experiences are what shape them into who they are. Over the years and plenty of research, psychologists have all mostly come to agree that it’s a little bit of both. Children are both born with some genetic predispositions while other aspects of the child’s development are strongly influenced by their surrounding environment. This plays into the criminal justice system when discussing where criminal behavior stems from. Is a criminal’s anti-social behavior just part of their DNA or is it a result of their upbringing? The answer to this question is not definite. Looking at research a strong argument can be made that criminals developed their anti-social patterns through the atmosphere in which they were raise, not their DNA.
...& Snipes, J. (2010). Biological Factors and Criminal Behavior.Vold's theoretical criminology (6th Ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.
There has always been a fascination with trying to determine what causes an individual to become a criminal? Of course a large part of that fascination has to do with the want to reduce crime, and to determine if there is a way to detect and prevent individuals from committing crime. Determining what causes criminality is still not perfectly clear and likewise, there is still debate as to whether crime is caused biologically, environmentally, or socially. Furthermore, the debate is directly correlated to the notion of 'nurture vs nature'. Over time many researchers have presented various theories pertaining to what causes criminal behavior. There are many theories that either support or oppose the concept of crime being biological rather than a learned behavior.
Dr. Adrian Raine has found that violent criminal offenders have shown aggressive anti-social behavior in childhood. Dr. Raine, a professor of psychology at the University of Southern California, and a top researcher on crime and antisocial behavior, has written more than 100 articles and several books on the topic, including "The Biosocial Basis of Violence." His brain imaging studies on violent individuals shows malfunctioning of the prefrontal cortex, an area involved with the control of behavior.
Within the past decade there has been a wide range of research and evidence available based on both sides of the nature or nurture debate. Along with further research that identifies a number of determinants that have some form of influence towards criminal behavior and activity. This researc...
John Wayne Gacy, Tim Bundy, and Ottis Toole are all infamous serial killers that suffered from a certain disorder. That disorder is called antisocial personality disorder. The biggest question that we have for these men is what triggered these non-empathetic men to commit such heinous crimes, was it mostly biology based or environment? Or do both factors share an equal amount of blame? When it comes to what is the exact cause of antisocial personality disorder, researchers and scientists are unable to come into an agreement. More or less, scientists agree that this personality disorder is caused by a combination of environmental and biological factors. While most scientists are able to agree what environmental conditions serve as precursors for a child to develop antisocial personality disorder characteristics in life, the problem continues to be what internal chemical imbalances are occurring to create this disorder. This ongoing question has been thrown to the public to ponder over for many years. At this time, there are no guarantee of wrong or completely right answers, but only theories to the causation of the disorder. By examining multiple biological theories, along with their fallacies (if any are presented) will we detect what the most probable cause is for this disorder.
6. Joseph, Jay. “Chapter 8: Is Crime in the Genes? A Critical Review of Twin and Adoption Studies of Criminal and Antisocial Behavior.” The Gene Illusion: Genetic Research in Psychiatry and Psychology under the Microscope, Algora Pub., 2004, pp. 278–279.
Despite much controversy surrounding the notion of inherited criminal tendencies, there is much evidence to support such theories. Although Lombroso may have employed his theoretic atavisms in an attempt to provide a biologically deterministic method of reducing or preventing crime, they have ultimately lead to an abandonment of gravitas concerning such a notion. However, as myopic as Lombroso's theories of criminality being a hereditary trait appears (Mannheim, 1965) research has shown shared physical characteristics to be commonplace in explicating the argument of genetic criminal behaviour. Although Lombroso presented...
In today’s society, one will find that there are many different factors that go into the development of a criminal mind, and it is impossible to single out one particular cause of criminal behavior. Criminal behavior often stems from both biological and environmental factors. In many cases criminals share similar physical traits which the general population do not usually have. For example criminals have smaller brains than properly adjusted individuals. However biological reasons cannot solely be the cause of criminal behavior. Therefore, one must look to other sources as to how a criminal mind is developed. Social and environmental factors also are at fault for developing a person to the point at which they are lead to committing a criminal act. Often, someone who has committed a violent crime shows evidence of a poorly developed childhood, or the unsuitable current conditions in which the subject lives. In addition if one studies victimology which is the role that the victim plays in the crime, it is apparent that there are many different causes for criminal behavior. Through the examination of biological factors, in addition to the social and environmental factors which make up a criminal mind, one can conclude that a criminal often is born with traits common to those of criminals, it is the environment that exist around them that brings out the criminal within them to commit indecent acts of crime.
In the eternal exploration into understanding the complex criminal mind, a multitude of theories, in the study of criminology, have flourished. Among these theories is the nature vs nurture debate, which suggest that criminal behavior is either genetically inherited or a consequence of environmental influence. These two views on criminal causation differ in many ways but they are not without their similarities. Through the earnest process of research in biological criminology, some theorists advocate that criminality is a predisposed defect. In the early study of this field, it was thought that physical appearance determined who would engage in criminal activity.
They also explore the myths about the connection between genetic factors and criminal behavior. The first myth they looked at was “Identifying the Role of Genetics in Criminal Behavior Implies That There Is a “Crime Gene.”” This myth is dismissed because of the unlikelihood that that a single gene is responsible for criminal behavior. The second myth they look at is “Attributing Crime to Genetic Factors is Deterministic.” This myth is also easily dismissed because of the fact that just because someone has a predisposition to a certain behavior doesn’t mean that the person will take on that behavior.
Subsequently, since discovering that both biological and sociological aspects both play a part in human behavior, studies began to formulate to see whether nature or nurture held a stronger influence. Two of the main studies done were the family and twin studies. Family studies are defined as “studies that examine the clustering of criminality in a given family” (Schram, P. J., & Tibbetts, S. G.). One of the families that was studied was the Kallikak family by H. H. Goddard. Through this study they found criminality is more common in some Neurotransmitters are chemicals in the brain and body that help transmit electric signals from one neuron to other neurons in the body.
Criminals are born not made is the discussion of this essay, it will explore the theories that attempt to explain criminal behaviour. Psychologists have come up with various theories and reasons as to why individuals commit crimes. These theories represent part of the classic psychological debate, nature versus nurture. Are individuals predisposed to becoming a criminal or are they made through their environment.
Different schools of thought propose varying theoretical models of criminality. It is agreeable that criminal behaviour is deep rooted in societies and screams for attention. Biological, Social ecological and psychological model theories are key to helping researchers gain deeper comprehension of criminal behaviour and ways to avert them before they become a menace to society. All these theories put forward a multitude of factors on the outlooks on crime. All these theories have valid relevancy to continuous research on criminal behaviour.