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 death show that criminals are less healthy and die younger than people in general. Accidental injuries and hypoglycemia are also more common among criminals. For women, over half of female convicts in one study reported that they committed their crimes during their perimenstrual period. Criminal behavior occurs more frequently among persons having epilepsy than among people in general, although epilepsy is rare among criminals, and they rarely commit crimes...