Biological Theories of Criminality
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Transcript of Biological Theories of Criminality
r Biological theories of criminalityBiological theories of criminality
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Crime is the result of chemical states, physiological
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min Crime is the result of chemical states, physiological
conditions and biological predispositions
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Biological theories of criminalityBiological theories of criminalityr
Biocriminology
Genetics
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Stress
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Biological theories of criminalityBiological theories of criminalityr
Biocriminology
Biochemistry
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Prefrontal lobe dysfunction
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Genetics
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Biochemistry risk factorsBiochemistry risk factorsr
Serotonin – low levels of serotonin seem to increase violence
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Serotonin is a product of tryptophan
Th b t f t t h ?
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Tryptophan at ThanksgivingTryptophan at Thanksgivingr
So if everyone has turkey at Thanksgiving, why is there no decrease in violence at this time?
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Biological
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Individual
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PsychologicaStructural
Nutrition and blood sugarNutrition and blood sugarr
Hypoglycemia
Body’s inability to process sugar effectively resulting in
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ior Body s inability to process sugar effectively, resulting in
low blood sugar
Mental confusion, emotional instability, neurotic or
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h , y,psychotic behavior
Excessive alcohol intake
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Binge-drinkers tend to neglect nutrition, leading to irritability, heightened risk of conflict and violence, and
h l iC … hypoglycemia
UnderarousalUnderarousalr
Researchers have found that males who engage in violent and non-violent crime tend to have
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Lower resting heart rates
Reduced skin conductivity
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Slower EEG activity
All i k f t f ti i l b h i
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Underarousal claimed to be a neurological d f ti l di l t it i f C dysfunction leading people to commit crime for the thrill of it
A l i l d b h f l l bArousal is regulated by the frontal lobe…
Biological theories of criminalityBiological theories of criminalityr
Biocriminology
Biochemistry
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Prefrontal lobe dysfunction
Bi h li i
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Genetics
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Frontal lobesFrontal lobesr
Control impulse control, judgment, language
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memory, motor function, problem solving sexual
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Assist in planning, coordinating, controlling, C and executing behavior.
Timothy McVeighTimothy McVeighr
Gulf War veteran
Perpetrator of the Oklahoma City
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bombing• April 19 1995 Alfred P Murrah Federal
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h • April 19, 1995, Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building
• 168 lives and over 800 injured
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min Motive?
• Claimed anti-government sympathies b f W d R b RidC because of Waco and Ruby Ridge
Timothy McVeighTimothy McVeighr
According to Michel and Herbeck, McVeigh suffered three head injuries
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Did this cause neuropsychological
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Many death row inmates have
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yneuropsychological problems
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Frontal lobesFrontal lobesr
Extremely vulnerable area
Injuries/lesions here cause significant
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problems
Affects Impulsivity and personality
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Inability to plan and execute complex sequences of actions
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s qu c s o act o s
Inability to reason
Inappropriate sexual behaviorC Inappropriate sexual behavior
Inability to modify behavior to social norms
Frontal lobe damageFrontal lobe damager
What can enhance or diminish an injured person’s predisposition to violence?
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Biological
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Individual
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PsychologicaStructural
Birth complicationsBirth complicationsr
Birth complications may lead to brain dysfunction
Can lead to cognitive deficiencies and then to school
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failure and loss of self-control
Risk increases in combination with early maternal
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Biocriminology – what to do about itBiocriminology – what to do about itr
Good evidence that social variables and adjusting to conditions can mitigate violent tendencies
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Prenatal intervention for vulnerable mothers
Education strategies to minimize maternal rejection
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School curriculum tailored to high risk students
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Biological
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Individual
PsychologicalStructural
Biological theories of criminalityBiological theories of criminalityr
Biocriminology
Genetics
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Phrenology
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Lombroso
Heredity
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StressC
A brief history of geneticsA brief history of geneticsr
Gregor Mendel (1886)
Used Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection to study
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the inheritance patterns of physical traits in pea plants.
Results ignored or disparaged
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Revival in the 1900s
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Refocus on hereditabilityof traitsC of traits
A brief history of geneticsA brief history of geneticsr
1940s-1970s: Focus on DNA
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DNA identified as genetic material
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Double helix structure identified
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1970s-Current: GC Genomics
Study unique sequence of genes
What is genetics?What is genetics?r
The science of heredity and variation
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Passage of traits between generations
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Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA)
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( )
24 chromosomes in humans
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PhrenologyPhrenologyr
Phrenology is a theory which claims to be able to determine character, personality traits and
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Developed by German physician Franz Joseph
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h p y p y J pGall around 1800, the discipline was popular in the 19th century
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Stephen Colbert!C p
Early trait theoriesEarly trait theoriesr
Cesare Lombroso (1835-1909)
‘The born criminal’
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Theory of criminal atavism
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Large of forward projecting jaws
Low sloping forehead
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High cheekbones, flattened or upturned nose
Handle-shaped ears, hawk-like noses or fleshy lipsC p , y p
Shifty eyes, scanty beard or baldness
Insensitivity to pain long armsInsensitivity to pain, long arms
Human Genome ProjectHuman Genome Projectr
Project designed to sequence the 3 Billion chemical base pairs in human DNA
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Completed in 2003 at the cost of $3 Billion
Data Used in medicine agriculture biology etc
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Somatotype approachSomatotype approachr
Classification of human physical types developed by psychologist W.H. Sheldon.
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Sheldon studied the photographed bodies of some 4,000 Ivy League students from front view,
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h y gside view, and back view.
People can be classified as to body build in terms
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p yof three fundamental body types (the somatotypes):
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Endomorphic: round / fat
Mesomorphic: muscular
Ectomorphic: slim / linear
SomatotypesSomatotypesr
Mesomorphic claimed to often engage in
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which can lead to aggressive behavior
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Some studies have found a link between
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mesomorphic body types and delinquencyC
What are some potential problems Endomorphic, Mesomorphic, Ectomorphic p pwith this research?
HeredityHeredityr
Charles Goring, English physician
In 1913 published a comparison of
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3,000 English convicts with 3,000 people, including military personnel from the British Royal Engineers
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Found no real difference, though criminals tended
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gto be smaller in stature. Given that size and mental ability are inherited, generalized that criminals were still born with inherited traits C criminals were still born with inherited traits.
While disproving Lombroso, Goring’s research still had some problems Such as ?still had some problems. Such as…?
Are we born criminals?Are we born criminals?r
The central problem with genetic traits…
Genetic theory suggests that your individual
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chromosomal characteristics are inherited from your parents genes at conception
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However, as we develop as a fetus other traits are created from genetic mutations
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The resulting characteristics are biological, but not inheritedC
Biosocial theoriesBiosocial theoriesr
Some of the most modern thinking in this area in in the relationship between an individual’s
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Expose to certain minerals appears to promote
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h p pp paggressive behavior. Which ones?
Mg - Cu - Cd - Zn - Pb
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Male hormonesMale hormonesr
Increased secretion of hormones in adolescent males linked to anti-social behavior
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The biggest culprit?
Testosterone
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So does more testosterone lead to more aggressive behavior?
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aggressive behavior?
It appears that the reverse is true
Or even that testosterone has a distal effectC Or even that testosterone has a distal effect
• Increased testosterone social inhibitions delinquency
XYY chromosomesXYY chromosomesr
Lombroso’s view that criminal tendencies were inherited fell out of favor until the 1970s
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Discovery of the XYY chromosome in some males (1 in 1,000)
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XYY boys have increased risk of learning difficulties (in up to 50%) and delayed speech
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( p ) y pand language skills (what is distal, what is proximate?)
Those with XYY more likely to have an arrest C yrecord, but not more likely to be for violence
XYY not inherited; random mutationXYY not inherited; random mutation
Twin studiesTwin studiesr
Further evidence of a genetic propensity toward involvement in crime comes from studies
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been adopted out into different families at or soon after birth
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Dizygotic (product of t t )
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Monozygotic (twins the product of one egg –C product of one eggshare the same DNA)
Truth in genetic propensity?Truth in genetic propensity?r
Twin studies generally find that both members of a monozygotic (i.e. identical) twin pair are more lik l b i l d i i h b h b
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of a dizygotic (i.e. fraternal) twin pair.
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Munich physiologist Johannes Lange found
When a non-twin sibling was imprisoned, so was the ibli l 8% f th ti
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When a dizygotic twin was imprisoned, so was the twin 12% of the timeC twin 12% of the time
When a monozygotic twin was imprisoned, so was the twin 77% of the time
Some cautionSome cautionr
The results of several adoption studies have shown that there is greater similarity in the
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than between sons and their adoptive fathers.
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But…Most of the evidence from twins studies suggests that any effects of heredity are evidence in people who commit less serious crimes
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The interaction between children and their adopted parents may itself increase the risk of C adopted parents may itself increase the risk of later involvement in crime. Therefore the environment may play a part.y p y p
So in summary?So in summary?r
While there is some statistical evidence
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consistent with the possibility that there
b h d
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h may be inherited factors in crime, that evidence is also open
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to interpretation in ways which do not i li i C implicate genetic factors
Biological theories of criminalityBiological theories of criminalityr
Biocriminology
Genetics
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Stress
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Diathesis-stress modelDiathesis-stress modelr
A psychological theory that explains behavior as both a result of biological / genetic factors and life
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Diathesis
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An elegant term for a predisposition or tendency
A pre-existing vulnerability to certain stresses
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Used to explain the onset of mental conditions such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorderC such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder
Stressors and crimeStressors and crimer
Potential explanations for later criminality include
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Childhood neglect and abuse
Alcohol vulnerability
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But stressors can be accumulative
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accumulative
Divorce, death of a parent, unemploymentC p y
Stress and crimeStress and crimer
However, some things can mediate stress…
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Biological
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PsychologicaStructural
r Biological theories of criminalityBiological theories of criminality
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MAOA deficiencyMAOA deficiencyr
Monoamine Oxidase A deficiency
Inherited genetic abnormality that alters levels of
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specific brain chemicals
Ch t i d b b d li t l t d ti
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What role should genetics play?What role should genetics play?r
Stephen Anthony Mobley
Accused of murder during the
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commission of a robbery
Attempted to use family history and
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B li d h MAOA d fi i
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Executed March 2005
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Discussion questionsDiscussion questionsr
How much should genetic propensity be a factor in deciding prison sentence length?
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How much should stress be used as an excuse for criminal behavior?
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Should people with a propensity for criminality be required to receive treatment?
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Should someone shown to be a potential future danger receive a longer jail sentence?C g g j