Neural explanation

• What is the neural explanation for crime?

  • Evidence suggests there may be neural differences in the brains of offenders and non-offenders, with evidence involving those diagnosed with anti-social personality disorder
  • APD is associated with reduced emotional responses and a lack of empathy for others' feelings, a condition that characterises many convicted offenders
• How is the prefrontal cortex linked to APD and crime?

  • The prefrontal cortex regulates emotional behaviour and research has shown people with APD have reduced activity here - Raine (2000) found individuals w/ APD have an 11% reduction of grey matter in their PFCs, which enables information processing
  • In 2004 Raine also cited 71 brain imaging studies showing that murderers, psychopaths, and violent individuals have reduced functioning in their PFCs, associated with impulsiveness and lack of control
• How is the amygdala associated with crime?

  • Raine et al (1997) studied murderers who were found 'not guilty by reason of insanity' and found abnormal asymmetries in their limbic system (structures deep within the brain) and amygdala (responsible for controlling emotions and detecting threat)
  • Found reduced activity on the left (associated w/ positive and pleasant emotions) and heightened activity on the right (associated w/ negative and threatening emotions)
• What is one strength of the neural explanation for crime?

  • Research support: Kandel and Freed (1989) reviewed evidence of people with frontal lobe damage and antisocial behaviour tended to show impulsive behaviour, emotional instability, and an inability to learn from their mistakes
  • Supports the idea that brain damage may be a causal factor in offending behaviour
• What is one limitation of the neural explanation for crime?

  • Environmental factors: Farrington et al. (2006) studied men who scored high on psychopathy and found that they experienced serious risk factors during childhood, like being raised by a criminal or experiencing physical neglect
  • Rauch et al. (2006): intense early childhood experiences cause APD and the neural differences associated w/ it e.g. psychological trauma can reduce functioning in the frontal lobe
  • Suggests offending is complex and they may be other intervening variables that have an impact
• What is another limitation of the neural explanation for crime?

  • Biological determinism and social sensitivity: these explanations suggest offending behaviour is determined by genetic/neural factors that cannot be controlled by the individual, suggesting people should not be held responsible for crimes
  • Yet our justice system is based on the notion of free will and responsibility for our actions, only in extreme circumstances can individuals be judged to lack responsibility (mental disorders) - this is complicated by the identification of biological precursors
  • Raises the ethical question of if people are not held accountable for crimes because they can't control them then how do we achieve justice for victims?