Biology and Crime
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Transcript Biology and Crime
Early Biological Positivism
1850-1930
Lombroso’s “Born Criminal”
Criminals as “atavistic throwbacks”
Identified through presence of “stigmata”
Peaked nose (as bird of prey)
Sloped forehead, large jaws
Strong canine teeth (as with carnivores)
General hairiness of the body
Others: Phrenology, Body Type,
“feeblemindedness”
The XYY “supermale”
An extra Y chromosome
Initial discovery in 1961
Flurry of activity immediately after
Not a “supermale”
Low intelligence, physiological differences
More evidence that XXY abnormality related
to crime
Even here, very rare and due to learning
disorders
The demise of early
positivism
1. Poor theory
Single biological trait as direct cause of
crime.
2. Poor/biased research
Crime runs in families (Dugdale)
3. Dangerous policy implications
Eugenics movement
Largely discredited by Sociologists by 1950.
Where does biology stand
now?
Impression from the Barkan book?
Criticizes all biological research on “poor
methodology” or “shifting definitions of crime”
Example, Barkan: “Why don’t all aggressive or
risk-seeking people commit crimes?”
Football players, sky-divers
Response: But, why don’t most people who face
poverty and inequality commit crime?
Get a job at MacDonalds, muddle through life
Is Criminality Inherited?
KEY IS SEPARATING “NATURE” AND
“NURTURE”
Parental Deviance (Crime runs in family)
Twin Studies
Adoption Studies
Parental Deviance
Parent’s crime and deviance is a robust
predictor of the child’s delinquency
Due to genetics, or other factors?
Deviant parents more likely to use
harsh/erratic discipline, less supervision?
Deviant parents live in bad neighborhoods?
Deviant parents abuse children/each other?
Twin Studies
Compare MZ twins with DZ twins
Concordance rates = if one twin is
criminal, is the other?
Danish Study (Christiansen, 1979)
MZ=52%
DZ=22%
Adoption Studies
Compare the two sets of parents that an
adopted youth has.
Biological parentsgenetics
Adoptive parentssocial circumstance
Cross Fostering Analysis
Mednick et al. (1984)
Adoptive
Parents
Criminal?
YES
NO
Biological Parents
Criminal?
YES
NO
24.5%
14.7%
20.0%
13.5%
CRITICISMS OF THIS?
Biology is not necessarily
dependent on genetics
Prenatal or Perinatal harms
Maternal smoking, drinking, drug use
Low birth weight, premature, delivery
complications
Environmental Influences
Diet (excessive sugar, etc)
Exposure to toxins (e.g., lead)
Physical harm (head trauma, etc)
What “biological” mechanisms
are inherited or damaged?
Neurological Functioning
PET scans, EEG readings
Indirect measures (IQ, Impulsivity tests)
Central Nervous System (CNS) or
Anatomic Nervous System (ANS)
Heart rate
Skin Conductance
HOW might biology effect
behavior?
Direct Effects (less common)
Head traumapersonality (Phinneas Gauge,
Charles Whitman)
Diet: Excessive Sugar Hyperactivity
Indirect Effects
Less responsive nervous system response
to pain hard to “condition”
Maternal Smoking during pregnancy
impulsivity/low IQ school failure
delinquency
Terrie Moffit’s “Biosocial”
Theory
Biology
Some children have slight neurophysiological deficits
Causes of NPD? Perinatal harm, genetic…
Results of NPD? “Difficult temperament,” Slow to
learn, difficult to parent, impulsive…
Environments
Some parents are poorly equipped to handle such a
child
Lack of resources, lack of parenting skills
Biosocial Explanation of
Female Delinquency
Caspi et al. (1993)
Biology
Early sexual maturation in females
Measure = age at first period
Environment
Exposure to crime prone associates
Measure = type of school (mixed gender or
not)
Policy Implications
Old Biology
Eugenics
New “Biosocial”
Social factors can be changed, biology can
identify “at-risk” children
Some biological factors can be changed
Drugs
Reduce prenatal risk to fetus
Barkan’s Critique of Biology
and Crime
The “relativity of deviance”
Methodological problems
Inadequate control, small sample sizes, etc
“Group rate differences”
Social/policy implications
Can’t change biology?
SUMMARY OF BIOLOGY
All modern biological theories incorporate
sociological or psychological concepts.
Biology related in an indirect fashion--and
with the environment.
Caspi’s research on female criminality
Moffitt’s biosocial theory