Biological Explanations

“Heredity is one of the reasons that parents with problems often have children with problems” J. Harris

98:294

Quick facts…• Chronic young offenders suffer twice the

rate of psychiatric disorders

• Offenders tend to have lower levels of glucose uptake in prefrontal cortex

• Offenders tend to have abnormally high levels of seretonin in brain

• … suffer dietary imbalances

Introduction

• Limited attention among criminologists in N.A.

• .. a “positivistic-deterministic” framework

• … Charles Darwin and Gregor Mendel

• … early dominance of sociology (Ch. 7)

• ! J.Q. Wilson and R.J. Herrnstein Crime and Human Nature

• “….without a more interdisciplinary approach “sociological explanations incomplete, and inadequate as explanatory models” (p. 141)

• EARLY THEORIES• Socrates and physiognomy• Somatotyping• … Jekyll and Hyde• … atavism• Francis Gall and phrenology• Charles Goring and crime =

heredity X environment

Body Types and Criminal Behaviour

• William Sheldon’s constitutional theory– Endomorph– Mesomorph– Ectomorph

• … body types and temperament

• Today life course theory

Chromosomes and Criminal Behaviour

• Biological defect either inherited or result of genetic mutation

• XX vs. XY ‘normal’

• XXY (karotype) Klinefelter’s syndrome… R. Speck, D. Hugan, Sean Farley– Work of Sarnoff Mednick

• Incidence rare but…

Twins and Adoption Studies• Why?• Attempt to delineate role of biological

influence(s) vs. environment• Monozygotic vs. dizygotic twins• … concordance rates (26-93% !

predisposition)• Adoption studies…• Heredity link impressive but not conclusive• Points to possible environmental triggers

• Intelligence:

• “how a person behaves is determined by how he thinks. Criminals think differently” S. Samenow, ’84.

• R. Herrnstein ’89: The Bell Curve

• Gordon ’87: lower verbal IQ risk delinquency

• Radcliffe ’97: IQ and pH levels in cortex

• Personality:

• How do we acquire our personality?

• Lenneberg ’67: possible biological foundation

• Numerous studies demonstrating a personality-crime association

• Herrnstein… “may have a heritable link”

• Alcohol and Illicit Drugs:• Man twice as likely to be treated for alcohol/drug

abuse… crime• Over half incarcerated in the ’90s consumed

alcohol/drugs day of offence• Caboret & Wesner ’90: genetic link to alcohol

abuse• Ethanol key link to aggression• J. Axelrod ’89: cocaine fries neurotransmitter• … drugs/alcohol act on but ? role of environment

• Nutrition & Environmental Toxins:• Dr. Rice ’95: “spend it feeding good food

to young mothers-to-be”• Crime and hypoglycemia

– (low blood sugar)

• K. Smith ’97: low tryptophan diet

• Lo nsdale & Shamberger ’80: junk food and delinquency linked

• Walsh ’97: crime and excess zinc & copper

• Manganese (voodoo metal) and violence– Groote Eyland

• pH levels and crime

• Acidifying diet and crime

Summary• Emerged era of social control• Humanitarian and utilitarian concerns..?• Positivistic• Biological predisposition with

environmental influences• “born criminal”• Environment and genetic >

neurochemical > behaviour

Another chapter done…