crime - biological: inherited Flashcards
(3 cards)
determinist
P: weakness is that it takes a narrow deterministic approach that individuals are destined to be criminals based solely on their genetic makeup from what they’re inherited
E: For example, Stephen Mobley was accused of murder and his lawyers tried to argue that he was born to be a criminal due to his aggressive family history of generations of aunts, uncles and grandparents who had committed violent acts such as rape, murder and antisocial behaviour. His lawyers suggested he get tested for potential presence of MAOA gene variant and made the case that he was ‘born to be a criminal’. However the judge and also Supreme Court of Georgia decided that the research evidence wasn’t strong enough and Mobley was executed in 2005
T: This shows that genetic explanations risk oversimplifying complex human behaviour by ignoring the role of free will and social/environmental factors, making the theory less credible and potentially ethically problematic when used to excuse criminal acts.
scientific
P: A strength is that this explanation takes a scientific approach by using methodologies such as adoption studies and comparing concordance rates
E: Mednick et al’s study of 14, 000 adopters found that 15% of sons adopted to a criminal family went on to be criminals, compared to 20% whose biological parents (not adoptive parents) were criminals and then went on to be criminals. Raine (1933) reviewed lots of research on delinquent behaviour in twins, found 52% concordance in MZ twins and 21% in DZ twins. Suggesting that inherited genes is more of a significant factor.
T: Therefore the strength of using such scientific methodologies to show how criminality is influenced by inheritance is that it increases the credibility of the explanation because it’s based on objective, measurable evidence.
HOWEVER: However, a limitation is that even scientific studies like these can be affected by confounding variables — for example, twins often share the same environment, making it difficult to fully separate genetic and environmental influences
validity
P: A further weakness of the inherited criminality explanation is that it lacks construct validity, as it fails to account for the wide range of criminal behaviours, particularly non-violent crimes.
E: Criminal behaviour is not limited to acts of violence; it also includes offences such as theft, fraud, drug use, and bigamy. Lynn Findlay (2011) argues that crime is a social construct, meaning that what we define as ‘criminal’ is shaped by cultural and legal norms rather than being a naturally occurring category. This makes it problematic to apply a single biological explanation to all types of criminality.
T: Therefore, the biological explanation is weakened by its narrow focus, as it does not adequately explain non-violent or socially defined crimes, limiting its overall validity and usefulness in understanding the full spectrum of criminal behaviour
