neural explanations

neurotransmitters and offending behaviour

• serotonin: low levels of serotonin have been associated with impulsive aggressive

• dopamine: released when experiencing feelings of pleasure which may reinforce certain behaviours

mirror neurons

• fire both when an individual performs an action and observes someone else performing the same action

• understands other actions/emotions - experience empathy

mirror neurons - keyser et al

• films showed of people in painful situations to criminals w APD and non criminals

• non criminals mirror neurons activate spontaneously, feel bad

• criminals: mirror neurons were in active but emotions can be switched on (faulty)

limbic system

• amygdala and hippocampus responsible for processing emotions.

• processes emotions such as fear/guilt - act as inhibitors to stop people harming others

limbic system - Kent et al

• used PET scans on criminal psychopaths/non psychopaths and a non criminal group

• completed emotional tasks (viewing distressing images)

• psychopathic offenders showed reduced activity in amygdala. doesnt respond to others distress - more likely to engage in violent acts

prefrontal cortex

• controls impulse control and emotional regulation and moral decision making

prefrontal cortex - raine et al

• 71 brain imaging studies murderers/violent individuals had reduced activity in prefrontal cortex. (lower activity - impulsiveness)

• individuals with APD had 11% reduction in prefrontal correx

limitation - biological determinism

• offending is seen as the result of inherited genes, implies offenders have little free will and responsibility

• could lead to arguments that some people are born criminals who cant be rehabilitated ignoring capacity for social support

• genetic risk factors must be used to avoid deterministic conclusions

limitation - correlation does not prove causation

• neural explanations are reductionist and oversimplify complex offending

• brain imaging research like raine and kent show correlations but cannot prove smaller brain regions cause crime

• other variables like drug use, poor childhood could cause brain differences and offending behaviour - alter brain structure and could be reasons for offending

limitation - lack of direct link to offending

• many studies link brain differences to APD

• neural research often finds abnormalities in brain areas (prefrontal cortex). However, having APD doesnt automatically mean an individual will engage in criminal acts

• some people with APD do not commit crimes. neural differences may explain personality traits such as impulsivity but not offending

• overstates the role of brain