Discuss How Biology Can Play a Role in Crimes

539 Words3 Pages
Discuss how Biology can play a role in crimes Biology played a part in Charles Whitman crimes because of the abuse he suffered as a child and the abuse he witnessed as a child. He witnessed his mother’s beatings, and he was beat and tormented. His father stated that he loved his wife and family, but he was the ruler of his home and ruled it dictatorially. Charles Whitman, on the surface would have seemed steady and an upstanding citizen. He came from a wealthy and prominent family. He was a gifted student and an accomplished pianist and an Eagle Scout. Charles Whitman’s behavior in the military was compromised by his performance. He was court marshaled for gambling, and found guilty for threatening a fellow officer and sentenced to a 30-day confinement and 90-days of hard labor. After his confinement and court marshal, he was stripped from lance corporal to a private. After these events transpired everything started to spiral downhill. According to researchers, they estimate that at least 100 studies have shown that genes play a role in crimes” (Cohen, 2012). Considering the way the Charles was treated as a child he falls into this category. Psychopaths are described as possessing good intelligence, easy to talk too, have good, and genuine interest, and this describes Charles Whitman. He may have had reasonable interest such as a college graduate, an accomplished Marine and a good husband, but these were for the wrong reasons. He seemed to have no inner foundation of morals on which to build his charter. With the documentation that Whitman did throughout his life, especially the days before the killings, it is very difficult to explain the cause of what he did with any reasoning other than he knowingly chose to abandon self control and give into impulses that he was feeling. According to rational choice theory criminal behavior is a result of a

More about Discuss How Biology Can Play a Role in Crimes

Open Document