CRIMINAL DISPOSITION AND CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR

Criminal Disposition and Criminal Behavior



Criminal Disposition and Criminal Behavior

Introduction

One of the main problems of criminology has always been determining the causes of antisocial and criminal behavior. There are several theories, which explicate the causes of these criminal disposition and behavior. One of the most controversial since its inception has been the theory that lays the foundations that criminal influences are on the individual's genetic makeup. Since the late nineteenth century, people have begun to accept the role of genetics in crime. It even came to defend the extreme position, which stated that genes are solely responsible for the crime. Sterilization procedures were performed to rid society of "criminals, idiots, imbeciles and rapists." There are a multitude of ethical, moral and political concerns that arise from these researches.

Discussion

In the 60's, the genetic theories of crime have returned to boom, especially among more educated sectors, presented a deterministic view of crime. So, is the individual responsible for carrying the envelope accountable for their criminal behavior? Or is the environment that determines the development of this? The notion that genetics plays an important role in the development of criminal behavior has relied primarily on three types of studies: studies of twins, the adoption case studies and experiments in laboratories. Of interest are the cases of monozygotic twins, as having the same genetic endowment, it is expected that if one develops criminal conduct, the other do the same. One of the most significant studies conducted in this regard was made in Denmark between 1881 and 1919 by Christiansen through investigating twin pairs, who were found convicted of any crime (Anderson, 2006).

If we consider the premise that the genes are responsible for criminal disposition and behavior then how the political government's system of judicial system will make people's deviancy to ...