Criminal Behavior and Genetics
Can criminal behavior be blamed on certain genes or genetic make-up?
Well some scientists believe so. Up until just recently, no one has had any
way or incentive to explore the genetic side of criminal behavior. Now that scientists have the tools and curiosity to conduct experiments and do research on this topic, they found some interesting facts.
In the 1960 s scientists thought that almost all men with the XYY chromosome pattern were destined to be criminals. That hypothesis is partially true, but now scientists believe that a low level of serotonin, a by-product of the enzyme monoamine oxidase triggers violence and hostility. Serotonin acts as a controller for hostility and violence. Research shows that most people who commit a crime are very unlikely to commit another. However, habitual criminals are the ones who might possibly have criminal tendencies due to a possible mutation of the A-gene on the X chromosome for the enzyme monoamine oxidase A. The more severe or violent the crime a person commits, usually means they have a lower serotonin level than someone that commits a less severe or violent crime. Scientists have observed monkeys that have normal or lower levels of serotonin. The monkeys with the lower level of serotonin were either more violent or antisocial toward the other monkeys. Therefore, the theory that a low level of serotonin causes criminal behavior is the cause for a lot of the more violent acts of crime in our society today.
The Essay on Criminal Justice theory of crime
There is no single cause of crime, it is rooted in a diversity of casual factors and takes a variety of forms, depending on the situation in which it occurs. Nonetheless, some theories of human behavior help us understand why certain people engage in acts that society defines as criminal or deviant, while others do not. A theory is a kind of model. Theories posit relationships, often of a casual ...
Works Cited
Elmer-DeWitt, Philip. Solving the Mysteries of Heredity . Time. Mar. 20, 1989.