evaluation

• one strength of inherited criminality as an explanation for criminal behaviour is that there is supporting evidence from twin and family studies.
• twin studies support - example


  Rosenhoff found concordance rates for criminal behaviour of 67% in MZ and 13% in DZ.

  Raine (1993) also found a much higher concordance rate for delinquent behaviour (52%) in MZ twins compared to DZ (21%.)
• twin studies support - link


  this is a strength because higher concordance in MZ compared to DZ provides strong evidence that a behaviour, like crime, has at least a partly genetic explanation.
• one weakness with inherited criminality as an explanation of criminal behaviour is that it relies on twin studies to support it.
• twin studies weakness - explain


  twin studies assume high concordance rates are evidence of genetic causes for crime.

  this doesn't account for confounding variables - perhaps MZ twins have higher concordance rates because people treat them more similarly than DZ twins?
• twin studies weakness - link


  this methodological issue weakens the credibility of this explanation - but just because the methods used are problematic, does not mean the underlying explanation is too.
• one weakness with the genetic explanation for crime is that it is reductionist.
• reductionist - explain

  by assuming that criminality is the result of genetic makeup, we ignore the wide range of environmental and individual factors that serve to explain the complex relationship between the individual and crime.
• reductionist - example


  the impact of peer groups, socialisation and the impact of traumatic childhood experiences.
• reductionist - link


  this is a weakness because reducing crime to genetics alone could lead to racist or discriminatory attitudes.

  as certain ethnic groups are more likely to be arrested and imprisoned than others, it may lead to the belief that these groups are genetically inferior.