various studies suggest a genetic influence on criminal behaviour
Crowe
adopted children with a criminal biological parent had a 38% higher chance of having a criminal record by 18,compared to those without criminal parents(6%)
Osborn and West
noted a higher rate of criminal records in sons of criminal fathers(20%) compared to sons of non-criminal fathers(13%)
Farrington
investigated 3 generations,finding a likelihood of arrest among relatives,especially when the father had a criminal record
also shared environmental factors,such as having a young mother and growing up in a troubled neighbourhood also contribute to the probability of criminal behaviour.
Adds to the complexity of the genes vs environment
