BRAIN INJURY as explanation of crime

What is a brain injury?

A brain injury is any damage or impact to the brain that affects how it functions.

What is an acquired brain injury (ABI)?

An acquired brain injury (ABI) is damage to the brain that occurs after birth.

What can cause an acquired brain injury (ABI)?

Causes include falls, road accidents, tumours, and strokes.

What is traumatic brain injury (TBI)?

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is brain damage caused by trauma to the head, such as a fall or accident.

How can ABI during childhood be linked to offending behaviour?

ABI can affect brain development, decision-making, and emotional control, increasing the likelihood of offending behaviour.

Which part of the brain is the last to fully develop?

The frontal lobe is the last part of the brain to fully develop, usually around age 25.

What are the functions of the frontal lobe?

The frontal lobe is responsible for decision-making, rational thinking, and assessing risk and danger.

What can happen if the frontal lobe is impaired?

Damage to the frontal lobe can lead to poor decision-making, impulsive behaviour, and aggressive outbursts.

support for brain injury explanation

-evidence supports the link between brain injury and violent crime

-FAZEL et al. (2011) analysed data from the swedish population register from 1979 to 2009

-they examined the association between traumatic brain injury and convictions for violent crime, including murder, sexual offenses, robbery and assault

-or those individuals who experienced an ABI,8.8% had committed violent crime compared to 3% in a matched control group of similar size.

-suggests that physical trauma to the brain may be a precursor to violent crime.

counter to FAZEL ET AL 2011

• relationship between brain injury and offending is not necessarily causal, other variables may have had influence

• individuals who have sustained serious head injury are also more likely to experience mental illness, or be alcohol or drug abusers.

• it is these factors that may create the predisposition to offend rather than the brain injury in itself

williams et al

.60% of 196 prisoners investigated had experienced some sort of TBI due to falling, car accidents or sporting activities

. adults with brain injury were relatively younger at entry into prison systems and reported higher rates if repeat offending than those without brain injurty

.also investigated youth offenders, 65% of 192 young makes reported history of brain injury , with 46% of those losing consciousness for over 10 mins

.williams concluded that these injuries affect development of temperament, social judgements and the ability to control impulses.

.brain injury may contribute to greater level of risk taking behaviour, making it more likely that an individual may become involved in anti social behaviour

simple explanation of brain injury

brain injury —> poor judgement and impulse control, greater levels of risk taking —> more likely to become involved in crime/antisocial behaviour

application of williams findings

-he said that if you offend at a young age , check the persons brain to see if the brain is not developed enough , the punishment should be reduced

weakness

80% of uk crimes are committed by males. For brain injury to be credible explanation of crime, it needs to explain this gender difference.

what did the brain injury association report say

in 2019-2020 males were 1.5 times more likely than females to be admitted to hospital to hospital for head injury.

GRAFTMAN ET AL 1996

used cat scans to find that Vietnam war veterans with damage to their frontal lobes were likely to be aggressive than those with damage to other areas of the brain

HOWEVER.

shows link between brain damage to frontal lobes and aggression but there was no brain scanning evidence of these ppts before the study took place