Biological Criminal Behavior



Biological Criminal Behavior

Introduction

People usually have the perception that crime is primarily violent crimes like the murder, which is the most severe crime society in the modern times. It has led the efforts by various research groups for attempting the findings for the cause of such criminal behaviour. The major objective of such research is the biological issues with the faith that the biological basis for criminals does exists and also understanding the biological is useful when attempting the predicting the individuals who may be predisposed for criminal activity in the future (Turkat,1985, pp 65-98).

Criminality, like all human behaviour, is highly dependent on complex biological processes and mechanisms, acting in concert with a vast array of environmental influences. Rooted in the work of early positivist criminologists, the acceptance of biological causations of criminal behaviour has traditionally been met with moral suspicion and reticence, and research findings have gone largely ignored by criminologists and sociologists. Biological concepts central to earlier criminological theories (physical stigmata, atavism, biological inheritance, mental deficiency, somatotypes and XYY syndrome) have given way to more advanced and refined themes in recent perspectives (behavioral genetics, evolutionary psychology, neuroscience, reward dominance and prefrontal dysfunction theories) all suggesting a biological component in the explanation of crime.

Thesis statement

The paper discusses about the biological symptom criminal activities, whereas it also highlights the case of Hinckley.

Discussion and Analysis

The needs are characteristic of any individual, they are a reflection depending on the surrounding external world, but not every man's need is a source of criminal behavior, negative rights, not everyone needs leads to crime. The most common source of motivation is the material of crime, sexual, ideological needs and the need for social interaction. Physical determinants lead to the commission of self-serving and selfish and violent crimes, sexual determinants - to violent crimes, the ideological needs can lead to crimes related to national intolerance, terrorism, but more often - with the usual bullying, the needs of social interaction can be expressed in violent crime and hooliganism (Silva, 2007).

Social and Biological Factors

The ratio of social and biological factors in the genesis of criminal behavior has not only theoretical, but practical implication: the emphasis in one direction or another determines the goals and methods of combating crime. The main thing is to correctly assess the biological and social in the causal chain of criminal behavior.

The complexity of this problem lies in the fact that the ratio of social and biological in human behavior is not constant and the same. It is different in different links of the causal chain: in the early stages of human development, leading to an act of conscious behavior in the development of a specific organism and the individual's life, in the process of social development (Raine, 2002).

The Case of John Hinckley

Significant psychological and genetic evidence exits which supports the notion that biology play as a role in describing Mr. Hinckley's crime for the attempted assignation of President Ronald Reagan by in 1981. However it was a failed attempt of ...