Biochemical Theories

• Biochemical Explanations:

  Strengths:

  • Sexual hormones, blood sugar levels and substance abuse can affect mood, judgement and aggression
  • Testosterone levels and male offending both peak around the same age, suggesting hormones affect criminal behaviour.
• Biochemical Explanations:

  Strengths (2):

  • Alcohol produces disinhibition, reducing self-control and leading to criminal behaviour, particularly violence. Crack, cocaine has been strongly linked to violent crime.
  • Biochemical factors are recognised by the courts. The law of infanticide states that if a mother kills her baby, as a result of post-natal depression or breastfeeding, she has a partial defence to murder. Pre-menstrual tension (PMT) has been accepted as a defence in shoplifting cases.
• Biochemical Explanations:

  Limitations:

  • Biochemical processes may predispose some individuals to offend, but it may require an environmental ‘trigger’ to cause actual offending.
  • Scarmella and Brown found testosterone levels do not greatest affect aggression levels in most men.
  • Schalling found high testosterone levels in young males led to verbal aggression, but not physical violence.
  • Infanticide, may be due to isolation and the responsibility for caring for a newborn child rather than hormones.