Human Biology & Criminal Behaviors

As the biological and cognitive sciences matured in the last century, it became clear many of our behaviors could be attributed to a whole host of biological causes. This knowledge became increasingly important in criminology and other branches of psychology and sociology seeking to understand why human beings sometimes lash out in anti-social and violent ways. This article will look at some of the common biological factors thought to influence criminal behavior.

It's In The Genes

• While the discovery of DNA dates back to the latter half of the 20th century, the theory that hereditary biological traits could influence behavior was a popular position all the way back to the mid-19th century. It was Charles Darwin and his theory of natural selection that made it possible to convincingly show how this could be the case. Darwin noted that both purely physical and behavioral attributes could be passed down to one's offspring. Thus, if a parent was aggressive and anti-social, perhaps his or her offspring would be as well.

A Mask For Racism

• Unfortunately, the early simplistic view of biologically influenced human behavior led to many problematic policies in the later 19th and early 20th century, most notably those associated with eugenics. If criminal behavior was caused by one's parents, the simple solution would be to prevent people expressing such behavior from breeding. In many areas, it became policy to essentially sterilize or forcefully cull large swaths of the population deemed "feeble-minded" or otherwise prone to criminal behavior. These policies often targeted minorities, and tended to coincide with previous prejudices and outright racism.

Conditioning or Free Will?

• One of the most important developments to come out of psychology was called "behaviorism." Put forth by notable thinkers such as B.F Skinner and Ivan Pavlov, this theory of behavior posited that people were conditioned into behaving in a certain way by various inputs and outputs external to them. While this minimized the influence of inherited genetic traits, it made the idea of punishment as an effective crime reduction tool much more prominent. If people simply acted how they did because of conditioning, it was simply a matter of using basic punishment and reward schemes to engineer whatever behavior was desirable.

What We Know Today

• As our knowledge of genetics, cognitive science and psychology became more advanced toward the end of the 20th century, the influence of biology became both more pronounced and less crucial to the overall picture of criminal behavior. We know today, for example, that genes can influence how hormones such as testosterone are produced in the body. They can also influence things like aggressiveness, risk taking and other factors which are related to criminal behavior. However, we also know that many other factors are involved, including socio-economic status, peer pressures, upbringing and personal choices made by individuals as they mature to adulthood.

Conclusion

• Essentially, we can say that while biology plays an important part in criminal behavior, it is more in terms of risk factors or predisposition as opposed to direct causes. We are thus influenced, but not bound by biology to act in certain ways. Ultimately, the final and most important cause of criminality is the individual.