Download CRJ270 - Chapter 5

Introduction to Criminology
CRJ 270
Instructor: Jorge Pierrott
Criminology Today
AN INTEGRATIVE INTRODUCTION
SEVENTH EDITION
CHAPTER
5
Biosocial and Other
Contemporary
Perspectives
Criminology Today, 7th Edition
Frank Schmalleger
Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Chapter Objectives
After reading this chapter, students should be able to answer the
following questions:
• What was the purpose of the Human Genome Project (HGP),
and what is its significance for modern biological theories of
crime?
• What role do genetics and heritability play in contemporary
explanations for crime?
• How does brain dysfunction relate to criminality?
• How do body chemistry theories – including those involving
diet, blood sugar levels, environmental contaminants, and
hormones – explain crime?
• What are biosocial theories, and what role does the gender
ratio problem play in contemporary criminology?
• What are the policy implications of modern biological theories
of crime?
The Human Genome Project
• Testing of Connecticut school shooter Adam
Lanza’s DNA to determine if he possessed
any abnormalities.
• The human genome refers to a complete
copy of the entire set of human gene
instructions.
1.Genes are made of DNA and carry coded
instructions for making everything the
body needs.
2.Chromosomes are bundles of genes.
continued on next slide
The Human Genome Project
• International research project mapping
the human genome.
 Determine complete chemical sequence of
the human DNA
• HGP sequenced entire genomic sequence
of a reference human genome
• Current focus of genomics
 Finding variants from reference sequence
Criminology Today, 7th Edition
Frank Schmalleger
Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
The Human Genome Project
• Knowledge developed by HGP may have
major implications for individuals and society.
• Genetic knowledge can have significant
implications for criminal justice
 What can we discover from the HGP
research?
 What is it expected to accomplish?
• Support the development of public policy
options related to crime prevention and
offender treatment.
Criminology Today, 7th Edition
Frank Schmalleger
Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Genetics and Heritability
• Dutch research found male descendants of a
“criminal family” had high proportion of violent
crime arrests.
• Researchers H. Hilger Ropers and Han Brunner
suggest that because males have only one X
chromosome, they are more vulnerable to any
defective gene, while women (with two X
chromosomes) have a sort of backup system.
continued on next slide
Criminology Today, 7th Edition
Frank Schmalleger
Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Genetics and Heritability
• Monoamine oxidase A (MAOA):
 Enzyme that breaks down
neurotransmitters serotonin and
noradrenaline.
 Neurotransmitters are the chemicals that
transmit the flow of electrical impulses.
• Men with mutated genes do not produce
enough of this enzyme.
 Excess amounts of MAOA linked to
aggression.
• Resulting in uncontrolled urges and
ultimately, criminal behavior
Genetics and Heritability
University of Texas Health Science Center (S.A)
• Pleasure-seeking gene (Allele or DRD2 A1) may
play a role in deviant behavior, addictions, violence.
• The gene is normally involved in controlling
dopamine flow
 What does it do?
• Diminishes dopamine function.
• May lead to people engaging in dopamine-like
experiences, such as drinking or using drugs. Or in
some cases to violence and/or murder.
Criminology Today, 7th Edition
Frank Schmalleger
Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Genetics and Heritability
Researchers – Capsi and Moffitt
• Heritability linked to callous-unemotional
behavior.
 Can childhood maltreatment lead to a risk factor
in adulthood?
• Genes and environment work together to
produce significant antisocial behavior.
 What was discovered?
• In some cases, genetic pre-dispositions and
their interaction with the surrounding social
and physical environments combine to
produce delinquency.
Future Directions in the Study of
Genes and Crime
• Explanatory power of heritability limited
– may apply only to environments
existing at the time of a given study
• If population or environment changes,
heritability may change also
• Genes appear to be both the cause and
consequence of our actions – they enable
rather than determine human action.
The Dysfunctional Brain
• Position emission tomography (PET) scans
found lower glucose levels in prefrontal cortex of
murderers
• Prefrontal cortex dysfunction may predispose
someone to crime rather than being a direct
cause of crime
• Frontal brain hypothesis.
 A gene defect that leads to a communications
breakdown in the brain predisposes people to
schizophrenia.
continued on next slide
Figure 5-1 The Human Brain Showing the Prefrontal Cortex and the Amygdala
Source: Schmalleger, Frank J., Criminology. Printed and Electronically reproduced by permission of Pearson
Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.
Criminology Today, 7th Edition
Frank Schmalleger
Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
The Dysfunctional Brain
• Allergic reactions to foods have been linked
to violence and homicide.
 Foods such as milk, citrus fruit, chocolate, corn,
wheat and eggs may lead to swelling of the brain
and stem.
• Physical injuries, emotional trauma,
disease, longer term exposure to stress can
lead to changes in the brain
• Link between stressors in the social
environment and brain structure
continued on next slide
The Dysfunctional Brain
• Neuroplasticity
 Brain can alter its structure or function
in response to experience or injury
Criminology Today, 7th Edition
Frank Schmalleger
Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Body Chemistry and Criminality
• Body chemistry is influenced by factors
such as eating habits, vitamin
deficiencies, environmental
contaminants, and the endocrine system
• You really ARE what you eat!
Ingested Substances and Nutrition
• Early research linked excess sugar
consumption to crime but the current
evidence on the sugar/behavior link is
unclear.
• Dan White – “Twinkie Defense”
 He murdered San Francisco Mayor George
Moscone and city Councilman Harvey Milk.
• This was contradicted in 1994 by the New
England Journal of Medicine.
continued on next slide
Criminology Today, 7th Edition
Frank Schmalleger
Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Ingested Substances and Nutrition
• Some food additives (MSG, dyes,
artificial flavorings) may be linked to
violence
• Coffee and sugar may trigger antisocial
behavior
• Vitamins, other nutrients may have
behavioral impact.
• Higher intake of omega 3 fatty acids
lead to a reduction of hostility.
Criminology Today, 7th Edition
Frank Schmalleger
Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Environmental Pollution
• Several studies have found a link
between industrial and environmental
pollution and violent behavior
• Correlation between juvenile crime and
exposure to lead and manganese
• Prenatal substance exposure may lead
to higher rates of conduct disorders,
delinquency, psychiatric problems
Criminology Today, 7th Edition
Frank Schmalleger
Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Hormones and Criminality
• Testosterone
 Relationship between high blood levels
of testosterone and increased male
aggressiveness
 Effect may be moderated by social
environment
 Small changes in female testosterone
levels also linked to personality changes
continued on next slide
Criminology Today, 7th Edition
Frank Schmalleger
Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Hormones and Criminality
• Androgens – male hormones
 High blood levels linked to aggression in
boys but not girls.
 A study revealed that boys with a higher
level of androgens in their blood exhibited
the most persistent aggression.
• Fluctuations in female hormones may
also be linked to crime.
 PMS defense – Christine English was
exonerated in a British court with this
defense.
continued on next slide
Hormones and Criminality
• Serotonin – behavior-regulating
chemical
 Elevated blood levels/lower brain levels
linked to violence in men
 Imbalance between levels of serotonin
and dopamine highly associated with
psychopathic traits
continued on next slide
Criminology Today, 7th Edition
Frank Schmalleger
Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Hormones and Criminality
• Other hormones implicated in
delinquency and poor impulse control
include cortisol and T3 (thyroid
hormone)
Criminology Today, 7th Edition
Frank Schmalleger
Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Climate, Weather, and Crime
• Temperature is the only weather variable
consistently related to crime.
• Researchers Ellen Cohn and James Rotton have
found temperature to be related to crimes such
as assault, property offenses, domestic violence,
and disorderly conduct.
• Relationship moderated by temporal factors.
(Temp, time of day, day of week)
 Uncomfortably hot and cold temperatures keep
people apart.
• Research findings consistent with routine
activities theory
continued on next slide
Climate, Weather, and Crime
• Possible link between barometric
pressure and violent crime
• Historical correlation between high
temperatures, extreme rainfall
patterns, and violence
Criminology Today, 7th Edition
Frank Schmalleger
Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Figure 5-2 Assault as a Function of Temperature
Source: E . G. Cohn and J. Rotton, “Assault as a Function of Time and Temperature: A Moderator-Variable TimeSeries Analysis,” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 72 (1997), pp. 1322–1334. Data used with
permission.
Criminology Today, 7th Edition
Frank Schmalleger
Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Biosocial Criminology
• Crime and Human Nature (1985)
 Comprehensive theory of crime that
included constitutional factors
 Constitutional factors which contribute to
crime. They include:
•
•
•
•
•
Gender
Age
Body type
Intelligence and
Personality
continued on next slide
Biosocial Criminology
• Biosocial criminology – Anthony Walsh
 Biological factors do not operate in an
environmental vacuum, environmental
factors do not operate in a biological
vacuum.
 Interaction of biology and the social and
environmental conditions.
Criminology Today, 7th Edition
Frank Schmalleger
Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Figure 5-3
Selected Biological Factors Recognized by Biosocial Theory
Criminology Today, 7th Edition
Frank Schmalleger
Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Gender Differences in Criminality
• Gender ratio problem
 need for an explanation of the fact that men are
more involved in crime than women
• Early explanations focused on culture and
the social environment – lack contemporary
validation.
• Females make up 51% of the population in
the U.S., but are arrested for less than 20%
of all violent crimes and almost 38% of
property crimes.
continued on next slide
Gender Differences in Criminality
• Biosocial criminologists say that if we admit
that there is something about gender itself
that is responsible for the observed
differences, the problem is resolved.
 Does culture play a role in criminality?
 Culture has changed, has the proportion of crime
committed by women risen?
Criminology Today, 7th Edition
Frank Schmalleger
Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Evolutionary Theory
• Evolutionary perspective suggests that
behavioral traits are manifestations of
multiple genes working independently and
synergistically in response to the
environment.
continued on next slide
Criminology Today, 7th Edition
Frank Schmalleger
Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Evolutionary Theory
• Evolutionary neuroandrogenic theory
 Propensity for crime commission
evolved as part of the male reproductive
strategy
 A particular neurochemistry,
characteristic of males, increases the
probability of crime among males
relative to females
Criminology Today, 7th Edition
Frank Schmalleger
Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Policy Implications of Biological
Theories
• Steven Pinker claims social scientists
unjustly ignore the biological basis of
human behavior and replace it with
three myths:
 The blank slate
 The Noble Savage
 The Ghost in the Machine
continued on next slide
Criminology Today, 7th Edition
Frank Schmalleger
Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Policy Implications of Biological
Theories
• No genes for criminal behavior but
genes may affect brain functioning and
influence chances of learning socially
unacceptable behavior patterns
Criminology Today, 7th Edition
Frank Schmalleger
Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Critique of Biological and Biosocial
Theories
• Fail to predict criminality accurately
• Methodological problems
 Studies in the area have often been
based on small, non-representative
samples.
• Findings difficult to generalize
• Do not explain regional, temporal
variations in crime rates
continued on next slide
Criminology Today, 7th Edition
Frank Schmalleger
Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Critique of Biological and Biosocial
Theories
• Cannot explain why some crimes are
more likely to occur in certain parts of
the country, certain types of
communities, among members of
specific subcultures rather than in
others
• Some biosocial criminologists have
been accused of racial and class bias
Criminology Today, 7th Edition
Frank Schmalleger
Copyright © 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All Rights Reserved