neural explanations

• Prefrontal cortex:

  Raine conducted many studies on the ADP brain using brain imaging techniques demonstrating individuals with ADP have reduced activity in the PFC which is the part of the brain which regulates emotional behaviour. Raine 2000 found an 11% reduction in grey matter in PFC of ADp compared to controls.
• Mirror neurons:

  Recent research suggests that people with ADP are able to show empathy but do it sporadically. Keysers 2011 found that only when offenders were asked to empathise did their empathy reaction activate. Suggests that people with ADP are not completely without empathy but they may have a neural switch.
• Strength support for the link between crime and frontal lobe. Kandel and  Freed 1989 reviewed evidence of frontal lobe damage and antisocial behaviour. People with such damage tended to show impulsive behaviour and ability to learn from their mistakes. The frontal lobe is associated with planning behaviour. Support that brain damage may be a factor in offending behaviour.
• Limitation link between neural differences and ADP may be complex. Other factors may contribute to ADP and offending behaviour. These individuals may have experienced risk in their childhood such as being raised by a convicted parent. It could be that these early childhood experiences caused ADP and the neural differences associated with it such as reduced activity in the frontal lobe (Rauch 2006). Suggests that the relationship between neural differences and ADP is complex as there may be intervening variables.
• Biological approach suggests that offending behaviour is determined by genetic and neural factors which cannot be controlled by a person, so the person should not be held responsible for the crime. But the justice system is based on the notion that we are all responsible for our actions unless it is an extreme circumstance in which an individual is judged due to lack of responsibility. The identification of possible biological precursors to crime complicates this principle.