Criminology Unveiled: Navigating the Biological and Biosocial Dimensions of Criminal Behavior - Essay Sample

Introduction

Criminology can be understood as the study of crime and punishment that can be associated with the crimes. Theories have been developed over time to try and study the reasons that push people into committing crimes. The theories can be classified into biological and biosocial. Biological theory suggests that there is a biological difference between criminals and non-criminals. Biosocial theory, on the other hand, analyses the social and environmental factors that affect criminal behavior. This paper seeks to gain a deeper understanding of the biological and biosocial theory.

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How Biology Affects Criminality and The Evolution of The Biological Explanation of Crime

Primarily there has been an association between biology and crime. The biological explanations in existence believe that people are born criminals. Sociobiological factors such a low IQ, hyperactivity, environmental pollutants, poor diet, and hormones such as cortisol and testosterone may affect a specific person's propensity for criminal antisocial behavior. There are three types of biological risk factors that may affect how a person involves themselves in crime. They include neurobiology, genetics, and neurotransmitters (Focquaert, 2019). Although research is still ongoing on whether criminal behavior is inherited, some evidence suggests a connection between the chronic offending narrowed down to the property. However, an individual may be predisposed to violent behavior if their genotype offers a low monoamine oxidase enzyme level. Several studies have linked low serotine activity and criminal behavior among persons. Neurobiology is a study that concentrates on the function and structure of the brain. Prefrontal damages of the brain often lead to the limited ability to control aggressive rule-breaking outbursts such as crime. Hence a person's biological characteristics may be genetic, or they may have developed resulting from a person's environment or situations that occur in their life.

In the history of studying crime, Lombroso was among the first people to use scientific methods. He believed that criminals inherited their traits and had definitive attributes such as bloodshot eyes and hawk-like noses. He emphasized in his studies that criminality should not be viewed from the act alone but should rather be viewed from a personal perspective, and not all about free will. However, it could be a medical problem that needed to be fixed by experts (Ling, 2019). Modern theories, however, address the entire range of biological characteristics ranging from environmentally induced ones to genetic defects. Besides, modern theories argue that biological characteristics are not direct causes of harm. However, certain biological conditions increase the likelihood of participating in violent behavior.

Differences Between Biosocial Theories of Crime from Pure Biological Explanations

Biosocial theories of crime tend to address the various external factors that affect an individual in their approaches. Social factors and biological factors have led to creating the perfect environment for a specific individual to develop criminal behaviors. A good example is understanding the research that certain traits of violence, such as psychopathy, can be passed down generations (Ling, 2019). On the other hand, pure biological explanations tend to explain the link between certain biological conditions and how they increase the tendency to indulge in criminal activities. Examples include low IQ, certain hormones, peer diet, and hyperactivity.

The brain is the most important part of a human since it controls all the actions and thoughts. The brain contains two cerebral hemispheres, which are, in turn, divided into four lobes. One-third of the brain's hemisphere contains the frontal lobes responsible for behavioral and mental functions such as control of emotional expressions, personality, and thinking. The occipital lobe is responsible for vision; parietal lobes assimilate sensory information, whereas the temporal lobes are responsible for memory, hearing, and smell (Fox, 2019). Two amygdalae exist under the brain's surface and are involved in emotion, fear, and aggression. Brain damage has a significant influence on the increase in criminal behavior.

Biosocial criminology insists that criminal behavior is not just affected by social and environmental factors. Various theories took the view that individuals behave differently because they are, in fact, structurally different. There are different causes of criminal behavior, ranging from those that are caused by genetic defects to those that are environmentally induced (Ling, 2019). Modern theories further explain that biological characteristics do not cause one to be involved in criminal activity but rather increase the likelihood of indulging in criminal behavior.

Policy Recommendations

Biosocial theory suggests that offending, crime, and bad behavior are rooted in some families. At times, they can only be dealt with by eradication. Various theories suggested for the implementations of eugenics. Eugenics can be understood as improving the human race by choosing people with desirable traits and mating them. However, this move lost favor because it was socially unacceptable, immoral, and unethical. A suggestion for the prevention of crime may include developmental crime prevention. This type of crime prevention focuses on the early biological risks for criminal offending based on the interactions between a person and the environment (Ling, 2019). This recommendation's measures include improving the family environment to tackle antisocial behavior and stepping up parental care to improve child development.

This proposed approach to crime challenges the current crime prevention strategies since it recognizes the importance of early intervention. It seeks to improve the lives of the people from the development stage (Ling, 2019). Current strategies are always focused on the arresting and removal of people from society. Thus, developmental prevention deserves more attention from the criminological community.

The Roles of Biosocial Factors in Violent Crime

Biosocial factors play a large part in influencing a person to involve themselves in criminal and aggressive activities. When combined with environmental factors, some factors like exposure to alcohol or nicotine, birth complications, and minor congenital disabilities contribute to criminal behavior in a person. The persons committing the crimes in Garbarino's book had a history of early exposure to biosocial factors (Garbarino, 2015). He addresses that many killers suffer from emotional regulation problems, which makes them a danger to others. Their unresolved trauma to the problems they faced from way back has always led them to crime. Some of the killers would not have committed the crimes if they were kept in the circle of caring by their close friends and family. They always involve themselves in violence as a means of filling a void that they have.

Conclusions

Biological and biosocial theories have been used for a long time to define people's behaviors. Researchers have tried to link the aggressive and criminal behavior that people show to their genetics. However, the environment that someone grows up in also plays a large part in determining their habits. Policies should be set to help people analyze the behavior of individuals at an early age.

References

Focquaert, F. (2019). Neurobiology and crime: A neuro-ethical perspective. Journal of Criminal Justice, 65, 101533. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Farah_Focquaert/publication

Fox, B. (2017). It is nature and nurture: Integrating biology and genetics into the social learning theory of criminal behavior. Journal of Criminal Justice, 49, 22-31. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Bryanna_Fox/publication

Garbarino, J. (2015). Listening to killers: lessons learned from my twenty years as a psychological expert witness in murder cases. University of California Press. https://books.google.com/books

Ling, S., Umbach, R., & Raine, A. (2019). Biological explanations of criminal behavior. Psychology, Crime & Law, 25(6), 626-640.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6640871/