biological explanations for offending

• 🏛️ historical approach

  • proposed by lombroso
  • criminality is innate and criminals are biologically different
  • criminals are evolutionary throwbacks
• 🚨 physical characteristics of "criminal type"

  • narrow, sloping brow
  • strong, prominent jaw
  • high cheekbones
  • facial asymmetry
• 🔪 types of criminals & features

  • murder = bloodshot eyes, curly hair and long ears
• 📖 research evidence of atavistic form

  studied skulls of 383 dead and 3839 living criminals

  • 40% of criminal acts were explained by characteristics
• 🧬 genetic explanation

  • inherited predispositions
  • criminality runs in families due to genetic transmission
• 👯‍♀️ twin studies

  Christiansen - studied 3586 twins

  • MZ = 33%
  • DZ = 12%
• 👧🏼 adoption studies

  Mednick et al - studied 13000 adoptees

  • 20% whose biological parents were criminals became criminals
  • 13.5% in control group
• 🧬 candidate genes

  • MAOA - regulates serotonin (aggression and impulsivity)
  • CDH13 - substance abuse and ADHD
• 🔬 neural explanations

  how differences in brain structure or neurotransmitter levels influence offending
• 🧠 brain structure & function

  prefrontal cortex - decision-making, impulse control and moral reasoning

  • linked to aggressive and antisocial behaviour (Raine et al)

  amygdala - regulates emotions

  • abnormal emotional responses, lack of empathy and poor fear conditioning
• 🧪 neurotransmitters

  • serotonin - low levels linked to increased aggression and impulsivity
  • dopamine - high levels associated with reward-seeking and risk-taking
• ✅ strength of historical - significance

  first theory to suggest biological factors

  • moved study of crime away from moral or religious explanations
  • focused on empirical observation and measurement
  • pioneered criminology
• ❌ limitation of historical - scientific

  methodological flaws

  • no control group
  • results could be influenced by social factors
  • undermines scientific credibility
• ❌ limitation of historical - ethics

  racial bias

  • criminality to physical traits associated with ethnic groups
  • contributed to harmful stereotypes
  • ethical issue
• ✅ strength of genetic - support

  twin and adoption studies

  • christiansen and mednick et al
  • empirical support for genetic component
  • criminality has a genetic predisposition
• ❌ limitation of genetic - deterministic

  overly deterministic

  • stigmatisation of those with certain genetic markers
  • overlooks influence of personal choice, free will and social environment
  • ethical concerns
• ❌ limitation of genetic - reductionist

  reduce complexity of offending

  • social, cultural and psychological factors are important
  • criminality is a multifaceted issue which genetic explanations oversimplify
  • reductionist
• ✅ strength of neural - scientific

  empirical support

  • Raine et al - showed reduced prefrontal cortex activity in violent offenders
  • use of objective methods e.g. brain scans
  • increases reliability and validity
• ❌ limitation of neural - correlation

  no proof of causation

  • reduced activity could be a consequence rather than a cause
  • unclear if they are innate or develop due to environmental factors
  • correlational
• ❌ limitation of neural - biology

  overemphasised biology

  • environmental influences shape individual's behaviour
  • fails to account for complex roles of social influences
  • lacks comprehensiveness