...The basic definition of the word criminal is someone who commits offending behaviour within society (Harrower, 2001). The crime may range from petty theft to murder. Criminals are born not made is the discussion of this essay, it will explore the theories that attempt to explain criminal behaviour. Psychologists have come up with various theories and reasons as to why individuals commit crimes. These theories represent part of the classic psychological debate, nature versus nurture. Are individuals predisposed to becoming a criminal or are they made through their environment. There are various theories within the biological explanation as to why individuals commit criminal behaviour, these include: genetic theory, hereditary theory, psychosis and brain injury theory. In the next few paragraphs examples of each will be shown. The first theory to be explored is the hereditary theory, which stems from Cesare Lombroso (1876) father of criminology, (Feldman, 1993) whose studies were carried out by morphology. Lombroso tried to show a relationship between criminal behaviour and physical characteristics. Lombrosco suggested that an individual was predisposed to becoming a criminal, as a result of internal or innate characteristics, rather than environmental factors. Lombroso observed both criminals and non- criminals by their physical abnormalities, such as physical measurements and examinations. He concluded that most prisoners show the same physical abnormalities, which...
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...society that will most likely never completely disappear, however, despite this pessimistic perspective, efforts are continuously made to minimize crime. When comparing the crime rate in 1990 to the current situation in the United States, these efforts have been successful. An important tool in bringing down the crime rate, is understanding what it is that makes people exhibit criminal behavior. Because to solve a problem, it first has to be understood. In order to achieve this understanding, theories about what makes people criminals have been developed. Besides an academic use, these theories were applied, either deliberately of subconsciously as people internalized these ideas, to the criminal justice system....
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...The Link: Genetics and Criminal Behavior Carla Davis AIU Online An ongoing debate that genetics can be linked to criminal behavior has been ongoing. Researchers are working hard to link criminal behavior and genetics. This study tries to find supporting evidence that a criminal can inherit the notion to commit criminal activity through inheritance. On side believes that criminal activity is caused through inheritance while others agree that genetics has absolutely nothing to do with committing crimes and it’s a person choice when committing a crime or partaking in criminal activities. Included in these studies are adopted studies, twin studies, and testosterone studies. These studying link criminal activities with genetics and give supporting evidence that criminal activities are not inherited. The Link: Genetics and Criminal Behavior Research currently suggests that the genetic characteristics of anger and illegal behavior involve several different factors depending on multiple genes. Although no researcher has been able to put a finger on any genetic factor that could be applied to the concept genes play a part in the influence of aggressive and criminal behavior, many studies have been done to include twin studies and adoption. Twin studies, adoption studies, and testosterone studies are the leading studies that link genetics and criminal behavior. (University of Texas at Dallas, 2012) Studying the differences and similarities between single/identical eggs and non-identical...
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... Theories on Crime Comparison For several years, theorists have come to the conclusion that people commit crimes for several different reasons. Some say that criminals are born; some say that it is because of self gratification and the need to be rewarded. Theorists believe that there is a psychological, biological, and sociobiological theory that will explain the genuine thought, behavior, and action of the common criminal. This paper will contain information regarding the relationship between personality and criminal behavior; the key elements of the psychological theory, and the philosophical basis of each theory. Key Elements of the Psychological Theory Psychological theory focuses on the involvement among personality, the learned behavior, and criminal behavior. The question is raised concerning the actual criminal behavior that an individual displays and why these people commit crimes. Although theorist believe that what they believe is true there could be many different aspects that develop the makeup of a criminal. By looking back into the criminal behavior of some serial killers and habitual criminals people have often asked why they do what they do; what clicked in their minds that made them commit such heinous crimes? Research, extensive studies have been conducted to determine exactly what switched was turned on to cause these individuals to do the things that they do. ...
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...to get engages in criminal activity? Throughout this class and my juvenile delinquency class we’ve been trying to answer this question. We are going to discuss the theories that can help explain as to why someone engages himself or herself in a criminal activity. First of all we are going to discuss the two main perspectives and the theories made by our theorist in the past. The developmental perspective of criminality has two main perspective and those perspectives get broken down to theories made by some theorists. The first perspective we are going over is the life course perspective. The life course theory suggests that criminal behavior is a very dynamic process that is influence by the individuals’...
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...Today, illegal immigration is at the highlight of American politics. Many citizens feel as though there are too many immigrants, especially those who enter the United States and attempt to reside here illegally. There have been growing sentiment that illegal immigrants are dangerous. Some people believe that illegal immigrants are taking too many jobs away from the native-born citizens. Other believe that these immigrants are abusing the welfare system and are becoming a burden to the United States. In 2017, President Trump’s administration took advantage of these sentiments to secure the Presidency for Donald Trump. President Trump successfully persuaded many citizens to vote for him by using his platform to increase these anti-immigrant...
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...Poverty is the mother of crime Poverty is the lack of income source to buy food. In some cases it is not only the state of having income that is below the line of poverty but it is also the inability to sustain a specified level of well being. So it is in fact that most of the crimes that occur are due to poverty. No matter how much moral the person is, if the poverty threatens his or her life then he/she is likely to indulge into such criminal acts and could try to attack the prevailing social structure. Sometimes honest people who hate corruption from depth of their beings fail to keep their mental balance and due to the pressure of poverty and resort to crimes just to maintain their existence. In such circumstances the judge only looks at the crime committed instead of finding out the cause that lead the committer to such an act. What happens is the person is sent to jail and is labelled as a criminal and after his release he is further humiliated by the society and therefore is forced to become a habitual thief. The majority of men that are locked up came from a background of poverty. They did not have their fathers. Many of their mothers had them at a young age. They did not have any positive, real male role models. They basically had to raise themselves. The fathers did not have the money to get abortions and then once the baby arrived, they did not have the money to raise the child. Then once the baby arrived, they were living in squalor and poverty and they turned on...
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...Serial Killer is born a killer not made into one Introduction: This essay will discuss psychopathy, by connecting an individual's criminal behaviour or psychopathic tendencies to their biological makeup. It will do so through analysing the theory of nature vs nurture and three experiments or research. The theory of nature vs nurture will attempt to provide a base for psychological understanding of serial killer tendencies. The essay will then attempt to reassert the nature aspect of theory as a reality through the three experiments that will be discussed. Thesis: In all, this essay will prove to link that biological deviations are the primary cause of criminal or aggressive behaviour in an individual. Paragraph 1: Experiment/ research...
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...The theories on crime deterrence and punishment have changed throughout history. Beccaria, Lombroso and Durkheim are three theorists who have changed the way deterrence, punishment and crime generally is viewed within society. This research paper will first explore each of the theorists’ ideas separately. It will then examine the similarities and differences between each theory. Cesare Beccaria, born in 1738, focused on deterrence as the means of crime prevention. Beccaria fits into the Classical School of thinking, and wrote in a time when torture was used regularly to obtain information from people, and where capital punishment could be used for any type of offence. Punishment was based on a retributive means, where the punishment, or harm, given was equal to the harm caused by the perpetrator. In 1764, Beccaria published a book called “On crimes and Punishments”, where he theorised that this approach did not discourage determined criminals from committing crimes. He suggested, however, by taking away their liberty through incarceration that this would deter other would-be criminals not to commit similar crimes, and would also prevent the perpetrator to recommit the crime again. He based this theory on the utilitarian ideals: “the greatest happiness shared by the greatest number” (Beccaria 1764/1994, p. 227). In his book, Beccaria theorised the deterrence to a crime would increase in effectiveness the faster the punishment was delivered. He also argued that the punishment should...
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...Serial killers are the most interesting and mysterious type of human being not only to the public but to professionals as well. They do things that are taboo or as others would call it, insane. Yet, the biggest question to all the madness is why? Why and how do serial killers do what they do? Then to narrow down these questions, a more transparent question is asked. Is a serial killer born or are they made? Some scientists and professionals claim that genetics is the sole reason for someone becoming a serial killer. Whether they were born with a different brain development or it is literally in their genetic makeup. Perhaps the Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart is one of the best studies done to open our eyes to the truth. The study was led by Minnesota Professor of Psychology Thomas Joseph Bouchard, Jr. In total the study showed that psychopathy is 60 percent heritable. By just this study it is proven that psychopathic traits are due more to genetics than to someones childhood upbringing....
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...Strengths and Weaknesses of Biological Explanations of Criminal Behaviour Positivist criminology began towards the late 18th century and early 19th century and contrasted with Cesare Becharios early ideas of classicism. Positivism which arrived after classicism looked at criminal behaviour from a completely different perspective. Positivism looked at the offender rather than that of the crime. Positivism can be separated into three main areas, Biological, Psychological and Sociological. These three areas give explanations on why the offender commits acts of criminal activity and also help to provide answers to why there is crime in society. In this essay there will be analysis on the biological theory to positivism. In doing so theorists such as Cesare Lombroso, Hans Brunner and Gall will be explored in an aim to explain the strengths and weaknesses of their theories. This essay will feature an insight towards outlining positivism by expressing knowledge into the biological side of the subject. Biological positivism was focused on the ideas put forward that criminals were born bad. Work by Italian Professor and criminologist Cesare Lombroso spoke about activism and how criminals were people who had not evolved sufficiently enough from our earlier ancestors. The idea criminals not evolving was based on representations of Charles Darwin’s study of evolution and how criminals could in fact be those who are underdeveloped. Lombroso’s ideas were that activism was operational in society...
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...above the rest. It’s the nature versus nurture debate. This debate involves the belief that it is either the environment or biological traits that eventually lead juveniles to criminal behavior. Does some type of “evil gene” exist that causes some to commit crimes? There are some that feel that criminal behavior is due to a person’s upbringing and/or life experiences (“nurture”). Others feel that criminal behavior is much more than environmental factors and involves a person’s genetic makeup (“nature”). Are people just born that way? Is criminal behavior...
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...punishment from authorities. There are many different types of deviance such as addiction, mental illness, alcoholism, criminality and homosexuality. Throughout this essay six types of theories will be discussed about how and why people are deviant. Four of these theories support the idea of deviance being biological and three support the idea of it being caused by your social construction. Also the essay will talk about the differences between the theories and a similarity amongst them as they don’t often agree. There are two main views that people see as to how a person becomes deviant; biologically or from a person’s social construction. The biological explanation of deviance is that it is part of who you are when you are born. Whether you are born into a long line of alcoholics or your mother has a mental illness, it is coming from your genes. There are many theories that support the biological explanation of deviance that will be explained in this essay. Some seem very unlikely and don’t have a lot of evidence but there are a lot of theorists that support this idea. The social constructionist explanation is that you become deviant from the way that you are brought up. It is believed that certain parts of your childhood can cause a person to become deviant. This could be that your parents or caregivers brought you up to be a deviant person because they were deviant themselves. It could also be that you were neglected as a child and never were taught right from wrong. There...
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...George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 43rd President Of the United States of America from 2001 to 2009 and the 46th Governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000. The eldest son of Barbara and George H. W. Bush, he was born in New Haven, Connecticut. After graduating from Yale University in 1968 and Harvard Business School in 1975, Bush worked in oil businesses. He married Laura Welch in 1977 and ran unsuccessfully for the House of Representatives shortly thereafter. He ran for the Republican party. He made tax cuts which were named the bush tax cuts.Taxes were meant to be cut by $1.6 trillion this made him well liked throughout the county.He also formed the no child left behind act for the educational system. Many people were very skeptical about this at first believing that it would not work and after they saw the first few test results they were on board with the plan.President Bush supported adult stem cell research and umbilical cord blood stem cell research. However, Bush opposed any new embryonic stem cell research, and had limited the federal funding of existing research. Federal funding for embryonic stem cell research was first approved under President Clinton on January 19, 1999,but no money was to be spent until the guidelines were published. The guidelines were released under Clinton on August 23, 2000.They allowed use of unused frozen embryos. On August 9, 2001, before any funding was granted under these guidelines...
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...Boston area from 1962 to 1964. Serial killers are a widely discussed topic throughout many criminal justice fields. A serial killer is defined as a person who murders three or more persons in at least three separate events, with a “cooling off period” between kills (Egger, 2002; Hickey, 2002; Ressler & Shachtman, 1992). The question of what makes someone a serial killer or in other words a psychopath is still unknown. Many would argue that humans are evil by nature and there is no outside force needed to make someone a killer. Others believe...
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