Unit III Scholar Activity

The biological crime theories tend to explain that behaviors that are contrary to the expectations of the society can be attributed to individual characteristics.

 

Atavistic form theory

This theory claims that criminal behavior can be inherited. It offers suggestion that there are unique biological classes of individuals that make them prone to criminal behavior, in that they have biological features from earlier human development stage which gets manifested in form of a tendency to criminal activities (Levinson, 2002). This theory is flawed and cannot explain the reasons for engagement of crime. This is because crime is not a homogenous or natural behavior category but normally a social construction which leads to this unsustainable argument. The theory is not supported by research and the proponent – Lombroso- never used control groups that are not associated with crime to establish these claims.

 

Somatotypes theory

This theory basically links criminal behavior to the physical form of a person.  The proponent –Sheldon- differentiates three basic kinds of bodily build which include fat, thin and muscular and that the bodily build is related to ones temperament and personality. Hence, thin people are retrained and solitary, fat people are hedonistic and relaxed while muscular people are adventurous and energetic. The claim holds that the muscular people are likely to engage in criminal activities than the other types and there should be a link between how muscular an individual is and their criminality degree (Levinson, 2002)..  This theory may hold some potential reasons, in that a relationship can be drawn between how the muscular people are treated by others which incline them to risk of criminality. This theory involved a study on students and criminals from photos.

 

Extra Y theory – XYY syndrome

 

This theory holds that some crime may be associated with a chromosomal abnormality. A case of Klineflter’s syndrome is explored where XXY combination lead to a male form that has female characteristics. Given that extra X seems to feminize men, it was speculated by some theorists that an extra chromosome male cause hyper masculinity in men who were having it (Hagan, 2008).  Because men are known to be more aggressive than women, it could be that men with XYY chromosomes are likely to be more aggressive than fellow men and therefore, mighty be at risk of committing violent crimes (Hagan, 2008). This theory may not potentially explain reasons for criminal activities since XYY men have been found to tend to engage in crime without violence. There has been research carried out extensively on populations in hospitals and prisons where the largest group of offenders consisted of men likely to contain XYY chromosomes.

 

Neurotransmitters and criminality

This hypothesis holds that antisocial behavior such as crime is related to human brain’s anatomy and chemistry abnormalities.  The impulse control, planning and judgment of people suffering from ASPD is influenced by reduced neurotransmitter serotonin levels, and mal-development of Septal and limbic brain. Traumatic occurrences may affect the central nervous system’s normal development which alters the level of hormones and neurotransmitters in ones brains. The abnormalities in the neurochemistry induce ASDP development and hence lead to violent behavior in an individual (Wright, Tibbetts, & Daigle, 2014). This hypothesis can be acceptable in offering potential causes of criminal behavior, and it has been supported by various researches on the causes of Antisocial Personality disorder.

Reference

Wright, J. P., Tibbetts, S. G., & Daigle, L. E. (2014). Criminals in the making: Criminality across the life course.

Hagan, F. E. (2008). Introduction to criminology: Theories, methods, and criminal behavior. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage Publications.

Levinson, D. (2002). Encyclopedia of crime and punishment. Thousand Oaks, Ca: Sage Publications.