Scientific Views of Criminality
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Whenever violence occurs, especially when it is committed by males, people begin to question whether society, by failing to nurture these anti-social individuals, is responsible for the violence, or whether these individuals are genetically predisposed toward violence regardless of the nurturing they might have received from society (4:52). Until recently, scientists had no adequate way to explore this controversy, and little incentive, since the issue was seen as so politically inflammatory that it was best left alone. Recently, however, advances in genetics and biochemistry have given researchers new tools to search for biological clues to criminality. Though answers remain a long way off, advocates of the work believe science could help shed light on the roots of violence and offer new solutions for society. The problem with continuing research in this field is that the subject has become politically incorrect. Critics from the social sciences have denounced biological research efforts as intellectually unjustified and politically motivated (4:52). African-American scholars and politicians are particularly incensed; they fear that because of the high crime rates in inner cities, blacks will be wrongly branded as a group programmed for violence. This backlash has had an influence on the research conducted in this field. In 1992, a proposed federal research initiative that would have included biological studies was assailed, and a scheduled conference on genetics an
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ychologist Jerome Kagan of Harvard believes that such people tend to have a "special biology," with lower-than-average heart rates and blood pressure.
Another study assessed features of borderline and schizotypal personality in three groups of male prisoners: murderers, violent offenders, and nonviolent offenders. Murderers had higher borderline personality scores than did nonviolent offenders. A test for linear trend indicated a linear increase in borderline scores with an increasing degree of violence across the three groups. No group differences were observed for schizotypal personalities. Group differences were not an artifact of group differences in age, social class, IQ, or number of previous custodies. Thus, a borderline personality may predispose an individual toward extreme forms of violence (2:277-281).
Findings like these may be essential to understanding and eventually controlling chronic wrongdoers, according to the proponents of this research. Most youth or adults who commit a violent crime will not commit a second, according to Kagan. The group he is most concerned with are the recidivists--those who have been arrested many times. This is the group for whom there might be some biological contribution. Ka
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Approximate Word count = 1560
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)
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