ESSAY: DESCRIBE AND EVALUATE ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING BIOLOGICAL EXPLANATIONS OF OFFENDING: ATAVISTIC FORM, GENETICS AND NEURAL.

GENETIC

Possible offenders can inherit genes that predispose them to criminal and offending behaviour. Idea of an underlying genetic abnormality causing functional and structural differences in the brain

MAOA gene

Linked to extreme aggression and violent crime. Its an enzyme which breaks down monoamine neurotransmitters like SEROTONIN and DOPAMINE, which release essential happy chemicals to the brain. Low activity version of the gene is linked to moniamine imbalances and impulsive aggression increasing risk of violent crime and offending behaviour

CDH13 GENE

Linked to substance abuse and ADHD. This puts people at risk of committing criminal acts

ANTISOCIAL PERSON DISORDER

Individuals w apd are very likely to be criminals. The prefrontal cortex which is concerned with impulse control, has less control with APD. Resulting in criminal and aggressive behaviour

MIRROR NEURONS

They switch empathy on and off, and fire when performing an action or watching someone perform an action. Dysfunction in this system results in a lack of empathy and offending behaviour

AMYGDALA

Part of the limbuc system; controls fear, emotional response and aggression. Dysfuntion in it results in violence, increased aggression and lack of fear. These are linked to criminal behaviour

STRENGTH OF BIOLOGICAL EXPLANATION FOR OFFENDING BEHAVIOUR

Supporting evidence. Christiansen studied concordance rates for criminal behaviour for 87 monozygotic twins and 147 dizygotic twins. They were 33% for MZ and 12% for DZ. suggests genes play a role in criminal behaviour. Strength bc supports idea that offending behaviour could be due to genetic influence.

WEAKNESS OF BIOLOGICAL EXPLANATION FOR OFFENDING BEHAVIOUR

Low, questioned validity of findings. Lange studies 13 MZ twins and 17 DZ twins. One twin in each pair had been to prison. 10 of MZ twins had gone to prison whereas 2 DZ twins had, suggestign an environmental component in criminal behaviour. Weakness bc it advocates for nurture debate and environment having a larger contributional impact on offending behaviour over biology. Validity of the research can be questioned. This emphasises the complecity of whether offending behaviour can be applied to nature AND nurture.

STRENGTH OF BIOLOGICAL EXPLANATION LEADING TO OFFENDING BEHAVIOUR.

Supporting evidence for the role of the amygdala. Pardini found tha 26year old men with lower amygdala volumes were more than 3x more likely to be violent, aggressive and show psychopathic traits 3 years later compared to men of the same age with normal amygdala volumes. Supports amygdala being linked to criminal behaviour.

STRENGTH SUPPORTING BIOLOGICAL EXPLANATIONS FOR OFFENDING BEHAVIOUR

Role of mirror neurons. Keysers displayed a film of an individual experiencing pain to offenders with APD. He found that offenders mirror neurons were onky activated when asked to empathise with the person. Suggests individuals with APD have a neural switch that can be used to turn empathy on and off. Makes them more likely to engage in criminal behaviour.