Sociology 225
“The Biological Factors Which Affect Criminal Behaviors in Humans”
One of the most frequently discussed issues in scientific community dealing with human behavior is the issue of nature versus nurture. Most criminologists would agree that a combination of biology and environment contributes to the behavior of human beings; therefore these two factors will be separated from one another. Criminal behavior has always been a focus for criminologist due to the age old debate between nature and nurture. Is it the responsibility of an individual's genetic makeup that makes them a criminal or is it the environment in which they are raised that determines their outcome? Research has been conducted regarding this debate which has resulted in the conclusion that both genes and environmental forces play a role in the criminality of an individual. This evidence has been found from a number of twins, family, and adoption studies as well as laboratory experiments. Furthermore, the research has stated that it is more often an interaction between genes and the environment that predicts criminal behavior. Having a genetic tendency for criminal behavior does not determine the actions of an individual; but if they are exposed to the right environment, then their chances are greater for engaging in criminal or anti-social behavior. Therefore, this paper will examine how different functions such as hereditary factors which consist of personality traits and intelligence, perinatal factors which confirm verification that the developing brain of the fetus is somewhat fragile and sensitive to insult, early childhood factors such as children with attention deficit disorders and various other disorders which correlate with criminal behavior, and the environmental factors such as the role in which the society plays that determines criminal behavior in individuals. All these features have a vast impact on the biological factors that affect criminal behavior.
“Most human...