Schmall crim today8e_ppt_ch5

Criminology TodayAn Integrated Introduction

CHAPTER

Criminology Today: An Integrated Introduction, 8eFrank Schmalleger

Copyright © 2017 by Pearson Education, Inc.All Rights Reserved

Biosocial and Other Contemporary Perspectives

5



The Human Genome Project

• International research project that sequenced entire genomic sequence of a reference human genome

• Current focus of genomics Finding variants from the reference

sequence

continued on next slide



The Human Genome Project

• HGP-related information should support the development of public policy options related to crime prevention and offender treatment.



Genetics and Heritability

• Dutch research found male descendants of a "criminal family" had high proportion of violent crime arrests.

• Monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) Enzyme that breaks down

neurotransmitters serotonin and noradrenaline

Excess amounts of MAO-A linked to aggression





• Pleasure-seeking gene may play a role in deviant behavior, addictions, violence.

• Gene-environment interaction model Impact of MAO-A deficiency affected by

childhood maltreatment• Warrior gene





• Heritability linked to callous-unemotional behavior and differences in self-control

• GxE Formula highlights fact that neither

genes nor environment alone is sufficient to explain antisocial behavior.





• The interaction between them determines behavior in most circumstances.



Future Directions in the Studyof Genes and Crime

• Explanatory power of heritability limited• If population or environment changes,

heritability may change also.• Genes shape us and are also influenced

by our environment.• Genes appear to be both the cause and

consequence of our actions. They enable rather than determine

human action.



The Dysfunctional Brain

• Prefrontal cortex dysfunction may predispose someone to crime rather than being a direct cause of crime.

• Neurocriminology examines neurological links between organism, social factors, criminal behavior.

• Frontal brain hypothesis – physical changes in certain parts of the brain may explain criminality.



FIGURE 5-1 The Human Brain Showing the Prefrontal Cortex and the AmygdalaSource: Schmalleger, Frank, Criminology. Printed and Electronically reproduced by permission of Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.



The Dysfunctional Brain

• Allergic reactions to foods have been linked to violence and homicide.

• Injuries, emotional trauma, disease, stress can lead to changes in the brain.

• Link between stressors in the social environment and brain structure

• Neuroplasticity Brain can alter structure or function in

response to experience or injury.



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

• Current evidence on the sugar/behavior link is unclear.

• Some food additives (MSG, artificial flavorings) may be linked to violence.

• Coffee and sugar may trigger antisocial behavior.

• Vitamins, other nutrients may have behavioral impact.



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.



Psychobiotics

• Examines psychological and behavioral effects of bacterial on mind, feelings, emotions, behavior

• Central focus Gut bacteria that produce chemical

messengers that interact with brain, nervous system




Psychobiotics

• Chemical gut-brain axis in body• Introducing proper bacteria may

produce positive results in mood and behavior.



Hormones and Criminality

• 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• Fluctuations in female hormones may

also be linked to crime.continued on next slide




• Serotonin Neurotransmitter, plays important role

in regulating learning, mood, sleep• 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





• Other hormones also implicated in delinquency and poor impulse control Cortisol T3 (thyroid hormone)

• Increased oxytocin levels linked to trust, altruism



Low Resting Heart Rate

• People who consistently engage in antisocial behavior tend to exhibit low resting heart rates.

• May be best-replicated biological correlate of antisocial behavior

• Relationship not fully explained• Association only appears to hold for

males.



Galvanic Skin Response

• Direct relationship between sympathetic nervous system activity and emotional arousal

• Skin conductivity/galvanic skin response (GSR) under control of sympathetic nervous system

• Research found heightened skin resistance correlated with negative and antisocial qualities.



Climate, Weather, and Crime

• Temperature is the only weather variable consistently related to crime.

• Relationship moderated by temporal factors

• Research findings consistent with routine activities theory



FIGURE 5–2 Assault as a Function of Temperature



Climate, Weather, and Crime

• Possible link between barometric pressure and violent crime

• Historical correlation between high temperatures, extreme rainfall patterns, and violence



Biosocial Criminology

• Crime and Human Nature (1985) Comprehensive theory of crime that

included constitutional factors Key factors include gender, age, body

type, intelligence, personality. Constitutional factors predispose one to

specific types of behavior; societal reactions to predispositions determine the form of continued behavior.




Biosocial Criminology

• Anthony Walsh emphasized importance of interaction between biology and environment.

• Biological factors do not operate in an environmental vacuum, environmental factors do not operate in a biological vacuum.

• Biosocial perspectives are theories of criminality, not crime.



FIGURE 5-3 Selected Biological Factors Recognized by Biosocial Theory



Gender Differences in Criminality

• Gender ratio problem Need to explain fact that men are more

involved in crime than women• Early explanations claimed social

equality would generate equality in crime commission. Not validated today





• Sexual selection Form of natural selection influencing

ability to find/choose mate, may help explain gender differences in crime





• Genetically-based behavioral differences between men and women moderated by social environment

• 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.



Evolutionary Theory

• Evolutionary perspective Seeks to explain behavior with reference

to evolutionary history Recognizes influence of genes on human

traits• Suggests some of the same genes

involved in reproductive activity and criminality




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.



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

• Myths make up standard social science model of modern era.




Policy Implications of Biological Theories

• Effects of genes indirect Mediated through complex chains of

events occurring in brain• No genes for criminal behavior• Genes may affect brain functioning and

influence chances of learning socially unacceptable behavior patterns.



Critique of Biological and Biosocial Theories

• Fail to predict criminality accurately• Methodological problems• Findings difficult to generalize• Do not explain regional, temporal

variations in crime rates




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.