AO3 Neural Explanation

• +Support for link between crime and frontal lobe. Kandel and Freed researched people with frontal lobe damage, including the prefrontal cortex. They found evidence of impulsive behaviour, emotional instability and inability to learn from mistakes. This supports the idea that structural abnormalities in the brain are a causal factor in offending behaviour.
• -Link between neural differences and APD is complex. Farrington studied adult males with high APD scores. They were raised by a convicted parent and physically neglected. These early experiences may have caused APD and associated neural differences, e.g. reduced activity in the frontal lobe due to trauma. This suggests that the relationship between neural differences, APD and offending is complex and there may be intervening variables.
• Biological Determinism

  The biological approach suggests offending behaviour is determined by factors which cannot be controlled so no responsibility. However, justice system is based on individual responsibility. The identification of possible biological precursors to crime complicates this principle. This suggests we should

  'excuse' some people but, ultimately, this is not possible because then many could claim no responsibility.