Criminal behaviour runs in families; children of parents who have criminal records are more likely to commit criminal offences
Genetic basis for criminal behaviour
20% of sons of criminal fathers also had records themselves in comparison to only 13% of sons with non-criminal fathers
Genes linked to characteristics found in criminal convicts: monoamine oxidase(MAOA) and Cadherin (CDH13)
Research on genetic basis for criminal behaviour
Brunner et al. (1993) found men in a Dutch family with histories of impulsive and violent criminal behaviour shared a gene leading to abnormally low levels of MAOA
Tiihonen (2015) found criminals convicted of multiple violent crimes frequently possessed either MAOA-L or a version of CDH13
Amygdala
Neurobiological structure involved in assessing responses to threats and a key determining factor in aggressive behaviour
Research on amygdala and aggression
Corraro et al. (2007) found participants with intermittent explosive disorder showed high levels of amygdala activity when viewing angry faces
Yu Gao et al. (2010) suggested a dysfunction of the amygdala means children cannot identify social cues that indicate threat and don't link punishment to aggressive behaviour
There can be undoubtedly a biological cause for criminal behaviours
