Biological Correlates of Crime
This is an excerpt from the paper...
The biological correlates of crime include perinatal factors, health, morphology, physiology, biochemistry, and brain functioning. Perinatal correlates consist of those that occur around the time of birth; these include birth weight and gestation length, perinatal trauma, minor physical anomalies, and maternal smoking during pregnancy; these can adversely affect a personÆs later life. Studies show that people with a lower birth weight and gestation length, for example, are more likely to have conduct disorders and/or criminal offenses when older. Perinatal trauma, such as birth complications or birth stress, refers to injuries or difficulties that occur at or during birth; hypoxia (oxygen deprivation) and injury to the mother are the most common. Interestingly, such traumas are much more common among criminal or antisocial people. Minor physical anomalies (MPAs) are birth deformities such as asymmetrical eyes and webbed or widely spaced toes. MPAs have a definite correlation with criminal aggression, as well as with learning disabilities, schizophrenia, ADHD, and low IQ. Maternal smoking during pregnancy is linked to conduct disorders, low birth weight, ADHD, and low IQ, also.Health factors such as overall life and health expectancy; rates of accidental injuries; and susceptibility to hypoglycemia, perimenstrual syndrome (PMS), and epilepsy are criminal correlates, as well. Mortality indicators showing age at death and morbidity indicators showing level of health at
. . .
and relaxed but focusing their thoughts on something interesting. Beta waves are somewhat slower, and occur in slightly less focused thought. Theta waves are slower still, usually occurring when the mind is wandering or the person is asleep. Delta waves are slow and occur during sleep. The brain waves of criminals are classified as ôabnormal,ö in that they tend to be slower than normal and the subjects feel most inclined to violence when the waves are at their slowest. Averaged event-related potentials (also called ôevoked potentialsö) are another type of brain wave pattern correlated with crime. These are changes in brain activity in response to external stimuli. Typically, after experiencing several dozen EEG responses, the brain shows a distinct dip in brain response, the P300 decrement, after 300 milliseconds. This dip is deeper for criminals than for ordinary citizens.
An unusual factor is pain tolerance, assessed by the cold water emersion test. This test indicates that criminals can usually tolerate more pain than other people.
Many of the correlates discussed in this chapter are controversial because people tend to overgeneralize and consider them as proof positive of criminality. These correlates are indicators,
. . .
Some common words found in the essay are:
IQ Health, Piaget Kohlberg, Gottfredson According, , Ronald Clarke, Lawrence Kohlberg, David Matza, Program VAP, Ellis Walsh, Jean Piaget, moral maturation, moral reasoning, criminal behavior, maturation theory, moral maturation theory, crime delinquency, birth weight, ellis walsh, control theory, minor physical anomalies, common criminals, low levels, weight gestation length, level moral maturation, maternal smoking pregnancy,
Approximate Word count = 1906
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page)
More Essays on Biological Correlates of Crime
|
Customer Service
to Over
32,000 Professionally Written Papers!!!
