The Basic Principles Of Biological Criminology

(M1)-The perception that crime has become one of the most serious problems facing society has led to determined efforts by many researchers to find the causes of criminal behavior. Researchers have focused on biological causes, believing that a biological basis of criminality exists and that an understanding of the biology will be useful in predicting which people are predisposed to become criminals. Judging the case of Jonathan Tregar, we can use the Lombroso theory to determine his case accordingly. This theory assumes that criminal behavior is inborn, associated with physical body features, and that criminals have body features which are different from non-criminals. Among the many

Crime and deviance can be observed on many levels in society, ranging from speeding to illicit drug use and human trafficking (Kilpatrick et al, 1987). Social scientists and criminologists dedicate their careers to deriving patterns and developing interventions and programs for people who have had frequent contact with the criminal justice system. This paper will reflect on the types of criminal activities that occurs in the movie “Animal Kingdom”. Specifically, it will follow the actions and outcomes of the protagonist, Joshua “J” Cody. Hirschi’s Social Bond Theory and Agnew’s General Strain theory will be introduced and compared. Applications and limitations of these criminological theories will be discussed and used to explain main character’s motivations and justifications to initially become involved in and continue engaging in criminal activities.

It has been suggested that genes inherited play a very important role in persons involved in criminal activity, and that genes effect the thought process which determines if a individual chooses to become active in criminal activities.

The world we live in, we like to depend on scientific findings to reason our claims. This reaction paper will analyze the findings by Mathew Jones and will critique specific sections on "Genetic Research Summarized" and "The Resulting Concern". Now if we solely depend on genetics to defend or accuse individuals of being a criminal it will not be an efficient strategy in the criminal justice system. Furthermore, although American Criminal Justice upholds the notion of free will, it has been discriminatory towards a marginalized population of the United States itself. So being dependent on such findings there will be a higher probability of wrong people being trialed because then the idea of free will and genetically findings will be in conflict.

Trait theories posit that crime is caused by certain traits, biological or psychological, among individuals which predispose them to crime. These traits control the individual's coping strategies and ultimately result in criminal behavior. Social philosopher Cesare Lombroso, working in the early 1900's, theorized that there were common physical traits shared by criminals. (Glaser, 205-6). These included distinct characteristics in the jaw line, teeth, and nose as cranium of offenders. As a result, public law enforcement viewed offenders as either incapable of reason or as unable to control their animal impulses. (Glaser, 206).

A new paradigm, positivism, is present by the criminologists to understand the crime and the behaviour of criminals, in which they are trying to explain biological and psychological effects on crimes. The essential and primary thought behind biological positivist criminology is that criminals are born criminals and not made to be by someone else, due the transfer of genes from parents to the child; individuals turn to become criminals by their nature, not nurture. Cesare Lombroso, an Italian physician and physiatrists concentrated on bodies of executed offenders with an end goal to decide deductively whether lawbreakers were physically any unique in relation to non-hoodlums. In 1876, Lombroso distributed studies and illustrations from his classic study ‘The Criminal Man’ specifying that born criminals may have abnormality in their genes which will make them have related facial features such as large jaws, high cheekbones, large canine teeth and sloping foreheads; his work focused on biological factors of criminals.

The biological theories are essential to the criminal justice profession so that they won't assume that a person's genetic characteristics cause a person to commit a crime. However, there are born criminals and “these types of criminals are the most dangerous, and can be identified through his or her stigmata or identifying characteristics” (Akers, Sellers, See, & Kieser, 2013, p. 10). Biological theories are the bases for severe criminal behavior mostly found among people who are born with an innate impulse to commit a

First, psychological theory suggests that a person’s environment and past can influence their ability and desire to commit crime while biological theory suggest a person’s DNA makeup could influence their ability to commit crime. “Biological theories within the field of criminology attempt to explain behaviors contrary to societal expectations through examination of

When looking at criminal activity and the direct connection to the criminal behavior we see that there have been many research trials that have taken place over the history of humankind (Mishra & Lalumiere, 2008). Two of these research areas that have been developed to attempt to understand the causes of criminal behavior are known as biological and psychological perspectives of crime causation. These two sectors have their principles that are held in their theories as a standard scientific understanding of the basics that each evaluation of criminal behavior is built on (Dretske, 2004).

There has always been a fascination with trying to determine what causes an individual to become a criminal? Of course a large part of that fascination has to do with the want to reduce crime, and to determine if there is a way to detect and prevent individuals from committing crime. Determining what causes criminality is still not perfectly clear and likewise, there is still debate as to whether crime is caused biologically, environmentally, or socially. Furthermore, the debate is directly correlated to the notion of 'nurture vs nature'. Over time many researchers have presented various theories pertaining to what causes criminal behavior. There are many theories that either support or oppose the concept of crime being biological rather

According to the article "My Genes Made Me Do It” by Stanton Peele, Ph.D, and Richard DeGrandpre, Ph.D, “The goal of determining what portion of behavior is genetic and environmental will always elude us. Our personalities and destinies do not evolve in this straightforward manner” (Peele). Many factors can influence behavior, and behavior is not simple. It is very complex and can in some cases cause people to behave criminally. There are genetic factors that can influence a person’s behavior as well as environmental factors. All of these factors should be considered when looking at criminal behavior. The factors that affect a persons likelihood to commit a crime include genetic and environmental influences, but there are ways to prevent crime.

All the biological theories are based on the notion that biological markers foreordain criminal behavior. The core of all these theories is that genetic factors or any abnormalities which are inherited or acquired throughout the life, predispose individuals to the criminal behavior. Lombroso’s theory gave life to probably almost every single biological theory that appeared afterward.

In Comparison one other biological idea that has been used by criminologist to prove that criminality is inherited rather than learnt is the human genetic code. The human DNA is made up of 46 chromosomes in 23 pairs, men have XY ad women XX (Newburn, 2013). It is widely believed that chromosomes can sometimes have a negative affect on people with anomalies within their genetics, men with a extra Y chromosome are believed to have the tendency to become involved in criminal activity. For example, Price et al (1966) research on male offenders on individuals with anomalies in their DNA found that they were “responsible for some serious, crimes a picture developed of hyper masculine offender . . . . who was especially aggressive and some what lacking in intelligence” (Newburn, 2013: 137). However, Hirschi and Gotfredson found the research on genetic anomalies to be ineffective in explaining all the reasons why some people commit crime due to the fact that the extra chromosome is not found in everyone who commits a crime therefore this theory fails to prove that people are born with criminal characteristics.

Cesare Lombroso, an Italian army doctor, is considered by many as the founder of the scientific school of criminology, drew physiological conclusions. Lombroso¡¦s infamous work, L¡¦Uomo Delinquents (1876), first developed the idea of the atavistic criminal. Atavism, a term originally used by Charles Darwin, suggests that in the process of human evolution some individuals can represent a genetic ¡¨throwback¡¨. Utilizing this idea, Lombroso debated that the criminal individual was born so. Physical indication of criminal potential could be identified through specific bodily characteristics, all of which suggested the bearer was a throwback from a more primitive age. These physical characteristics included abnormal teeth, extra nipples, extra or missing toes and fingers, large ears and an overly prominent jawbone. Later research however, found no support for Lombroso¡¦s ideas.

Criminals are born not made is the discussion of this essay, it will explore the theories that attempt to explain criminal behavior. Psychologists have come up with various theories and reasons as to why individuals commit crimes. These theories represent part of the classic psychological debate, nature versus nurture. Are individuals predisposed to becoming a criminal or are they made through their environment. There are various theories within the biological explanation as to why individuals commit criminal behavior, these include: genetic theory, hereditary theory,.