Raine

• Background: Physiological explanation


  MAOA gene produces chemicals involved in the breakdown of serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine

  Brunner et al

  • Studied a dutch family where all the males had a mutant form of the MAOA gene
  • All had borderline retardation, reacted aggressively when angry, fearful or frustrated
  • this suggested that abormal MAOA activity could be associated with criminality
• Background: Interactionist explanation


  Diathesis Stress model

  • Genes are the predisposing factor to criminal behaviour, but behaviour will only be shown if there is a precipitating factor from the enviroment

  Caspi

  • studied 500 male children
  • those with low levels of MAOA were more liekly to exhibit antisocial behaviour, but only if they had been maltreated as children
  • the interaction between environment and the gene determines aggression
• Background: Non-physiological explanation


  Farringdon and West

  • Longitudinal study of 411 8yo boys, interviewed into adulthood
  • typical crime risk factors included: poverty, risk taking, low school attainment etc
• Previous research and context

  • Violent offenders were shown to have poor brain functioning in comparison to controls but exact brain areas implicated have not been identified
  • Earlier research was limited - focused on aggressive hospital patients
• Aim


  • To see if violent offenders who commit murder and plead Not Guilty For Reasons of Insanity (NGRI) have localised brain function
• Research method/design


  • Quasi experiment
  • Matched pairs design (age, sexand psychiatric condition)
• Sample


  • 41 murderers (39 male, 2 female)
  • NGRI (e.g brain injury)
  • not recieving any psychoactive medication for 2 weeks before the scan
  • 41 controls (39 male, 2 female)
• Procedure


  • Injected with an FDG tracer
  • Asked to complete a Continuous Performance Task
  • After 32 minutes of uptake of the tracer, they were scanned

  They used 2 techniques to identify brain regions:

  • Cortical Peel technique (lateral brain areas)
  • Box technique (medical brain areas)
• Results


  • Experimental group had lower levels of glucose metabolism in the pre-frontal cortical regions
  • Lower glucose metabolism in the corpus collosum
  • Reduced activity in the amygdala (results in inreased aggression and lack of emotional regulation)
• Conclusions


  • Evidence for 'multi site' deficits in murderers pleading NGRI
  • These areas are characteriswd by reduced glucose metabolism
  • Support for pre-existing biological factors for predisposition to violence
  • Violent behaviour is localised in the brain and may 'translate' into criminal behaviour through various pathways including social and cognitive
• Application 1 (biological): Nutrition for pregnant women


  • Free vitamins for pregnant women to supplement diet
  • should be administered through clinics and doctors to ensure babies' brains develop healthily
  • results in more activity in corpus collosum and amygdala (Raine)
  • Results in more activity in the interior frontal gyrus, reducing the amount of low delayers, who are more prone to addiction etc (Casey)
• Application 2 (Biological): Nutrition for newborns and children

  • Omega 3 fish oil free to young children
  • Through school and nurseries
  • to ensure children's brains develop with good nutrition
  • Fish oil can reduce delinquency, aggression and attention problems after 6 months
• Application 3 (Biological): Facial surgery for prisoners before release


  • For long term prisoners returning to society, funded by the justice system to prevent recidivism
  • To change the face, changes the behaviour
  • Physical appearance can act as a self fulfilling prophecy
  • Halo effect - If you look good, people think you are good, lowers expectations from others and societal pressures, less likely to panic and turn to crime to fit in (Dion)
  • Criminals showed an increase in cooperation, morale, optimism, as well as a decrease in hostility