A03

• there are real world applications of research into neurotransmitter differences.

  Research has shown that differences in neurotransmitter levels can be treated through drugs or dietary interventions for example serotonin levels can be increased through SSRis

  . This suggests that drugs may help reduce offending in some individuals particularly if they suffer mental illness and diets could be potentially altered within the prison system to reduce levels of aggression and further offending. 

  people may not want drugs
• • there may be issues with the research on neurotransmitters as...

  Much of the research on neurotransmitters has been conducted on non-human animals and investigates the animals aggressiveness, eg adjust neurotransmitters to see effects on animals aggression levels.. This means that aggressiveness rather than offender behaviour is being  investigated and that the data can not be used to predict who may become an offender, and research can not be generalised to humans and to non-violent crimes like tax fraud.
• Certain dietary choices, including fish consumption and a good nutritional status overall also have been associated with reduced rates of violent behaviour'.
• It is reductionist to say that all offending behaviour is doen to neurotransmitter imbalances when there are many factors which interact to cause offending behaviour. Farrington.... This shows that a combined approach is needed to give a fuller picture pof the causes of offending, one explanation alone is insufficient