biological explanations of criminal behaviour: brain injury

Question 1

how does brain injury occur?

Answer 1

• by accident or illness
• could be caused by long term alcohol or drug abuse
  
  • alcohol: has toxic effect on cns and interferes with absorption of vitamin B1 (thiamine)
  • impairs balance and decision making
  • results in increase in falls/accidents injuring brain

Question 2

define ‘traumatic’ brain injury

Answer 2

• result of trauma in brain
• eg being involved in car accident, falling and injuring head or being assaulted

Question 3

what are the consequences of brain injury dependent on?

Answer 3

• area of brain that’s been injured as different parts of the brain as responsible for different skills

Question 4

what changes may the individual have due to brain injury?

Answer 4

• personality
• person may start to behave that is abnormal of them pre trauma
• could be reckless behaviour and involve aggression towards others
• eg injury to amygdala may result in increase in impulsive behaviours or aggression

Question 5

supporting: Williams et al.

Answer 5

• 60% of 196 male prisoners investigated had received form of traumatic brain injury due to falling, accidents, sports
• noted adults with TBI were younger at entry into prison systems than those w/o
  
  • also reported higher rates of reoffending
• suggested injuries affect development of temperament, temperance, social judgement and control impulses
• injury leads to risk-taking behaviour -> more likely they get involved in anti-social behaviour
• concluded that impairments in these areas of development leads to criminality

Question 6

weakness: other things (reductionist)

Answer 6

• other conditions should be considered when reviewing influence of brain injury
• many offenders have history of substance misuse, pre-existing personality disorders or violence as child
  
  • all known to increase criminality
• therefore a complex process to determine which factors contribute to offending behaviour
• simplistic -> simple concluded offenders with brain injury committed criminal behaviour due to that, particularly in presence of other possible factors

Question 7

opposing evidence: Kreutzer et al.

Answer 7

• unable to prove or disprove cause and effect between TBI and violence
• investigated 74 patients
  
  • found that 20% arrested pre-injury, 10% post
• most arrests occurred after use of alcohol and other drugs
• concluded criminal behaviour might be result of post-injury changes, including or judgement
• substance abuse, TBI, crime all inter-connected, researchers stated, but didn’t go as far to conclude brain injury causes criminal behaviour
  
  • believed that substance abuse, most common among those under 35 y/o, led to legal difficulties and TBI
• following further research, they concluded that without presence of substance use history, TBI wasn’t a risk factor for criminal behaviour