Low serotonin levels can mean higher levels of aggression, with many studies finding this to be the case with violent offenders. What have research studies in the field of genetics had to say about the possible causes of crime? What is sociobiology? How do sociobiologists explain criminals? Sociobiology is the study of how biology affects behavior, with specific focus on how human nature is affected by genetic composition of a group of people sharing specific characteristics.
Many people believe that crimes are committed because people have mental issues, however that is not the case. Based on the research done by criminologists there are numerous theories as to why crimes happen, such as, biological, sociological and psychological. (Michaelson, Peter, January 10, 2012) The idea that there is a biological connection with crime is fairly recent. This idea started getting more attention back in the 19th century. Before, that individuals were believed to have control over their moods and directional approaches.
In Goldsboro, North Carolina in 1990, there were three different crimes committed by an unknown attacker that was named the “Night Stalker”. In March an elderly woman was brutally raped and almost murdered, but her daughter came home early and the attacker fled the scene and left materials behind that would have been used to burn the house down in order to cover up the crime. In July, a second elderly woman was raped and murdered, and in October, a third woman was raped and stabbed to death and her husband was also murdered. The house was set on fire, but fire and rescue were able to get the bodies out before the house was totally destroyed. DNA analysis of the vaginal swabs from the three women who had been raped enabled the authorities
• The basic determinants of human behavior, including criminality, may be passed on from generation to generation. In other words, a penchant for crime may be inherited. • Much of human conduct is fundamentally rooted in instinctive behavioral responses characteristic of biological organisms everywhere. Territoriality, condemnation of adultery, and acquisitiveness are but three examples of behavior which may be instinctual to human beings. • The biological roots of human conduct have become increasingly disguised, as modern symbolic forms of indirect expressive behavior have replaced more primitive and direct ones.
If the only reason to pull someone over depends on his or her race, this causes a discriminatory impact. Police departments begun to review data on stops and change police officers behaviors, arguments and attitudes towards the leading of stereotype based discriminatory treatment. (Racial profiling, 2012) This researcher frowns much upon racial profiling but with surveys conducted every day on who is likely to commit a crime, and what age, and what sex, and what minority group then people tend to lean towards these surveys proving that race is a huge part of crime involvement. In conclusion, criminal profiling works as an investigative tool to help solve crimes. Criminal profiling has come a long way and still needs a lot of improvement.
Mednick et al. have studied criminal convictions of over 14,000 people who have been adopted and created greater evidence to suggest that biology had more access over their behaviour. To support this theory further, Bohman reproduced Mednick et al’s study by analyzing the percentage of sons to with a biological parent with an existing criminal record to boys with an adoptive parent with a criminal record. Bohman also concluded with the fact that the genetic factors were more eloquent compared to the environmental influences. The psychological assumption of crime suggests that negative expectations influence certain individuals to execute in a criminal way as their stereotypes change their social interactions.
Possibly there is some truth to what some of them claim. There have been some studies conducted of some criminals convicted of violent crimes. The results have indicated that biological crimes do exist. Yates formerly known as Andrea Pia Kennedy was born on July 2, 1964, in Houston, Texas. After delivering her youngest child, she developed post-partum depressions.
Within biological and environmental Psychology both fields share varied beliefs as to where criminological behaviour is derived. Is criminal behaviour inherited or is it down to effects of the environment? Biological psychology theorists (BPT) believe that the criminal is born that way whereas environmental psychology theorists (EPT) believe criminal behaviour is learned. There is a range of research studies that support both these arguments. Cesare Lombroso (CL) was a Psychiatrist that believed that criminals had common facial characteristics and that they were “born criminals” which he also referred to as “atavisms”.
On Sept. 10, 1998, she called her mother, Nancy Palmer, around five p.m. and asked if she could play with friends. Her mother returned at 7 p.m., later than usual, and found her lifeless daughter. Palmer testified in a preliminary hearing for the man accused of killing her daughter, Matthew John Breck. DNA evidence led to Breck, 32, being charged in January 2010 with aggravated murder, aggravated sex abuse of a child, both first degree felonies, and child abuse, a second degree felony, in connection with Anna Palmer’s death. DNA Solves Anna Palmer’s Case
Criminologists have long since tried to determine the causes of crime and though many theories have been implemented; no one theory can determine all crime. However, the theories determined do complement each other [ (Siegel & Worrall, 2012) ]. Who are these criminals committing these crimes and why do they commit crime? One theory is that crime is genetically inherited [ (Siegel, 2011) ]. If crime can be scientifically proven to say that crime can be, or is inherited, then what about the children who have criminals as parents?