Brain injuries and disorders

• key idea

  injuries, disorders and diseases of the brain may cause it to malfunction in ways that change personality, morals or self control, leading to criminal behaviour
• Strength of Brain injuries and disorders

  • in extreme cases brain injury and disease has led to major changes in an individuals personality and behaviou, including criminality
  • there is some correlation between EEG readings and psychopathic criminality
  • prisoners are more likely than non-prisoners to have brain injury
• Limitation of Brain injuries and disorders

  • crimes caused by brain injuries or disease are rare.
  • It is not clear that abnormal brainwave activity causes psychopathic criminality. Some psychopaths have normal EEG patterns and some normal people have abnormal EEG patterns
  • Prisoners higher likelihood of brain injury could be a result of their criminality rather than a cause