Genetic Factors and Criminal Behavior Essay Example

In this article the two authors research the connection between genetic factors and criminal behavior. They look at the causes that make someone act in a criminal way. There are several factors looked at in connection to the cause such as social factors and environmental variables. The social factors being the more examined of the two. They hypothesized that other factors in performance or alone with environmental variables would lead to better understanding of why some people become criminal. The genetic factor of influence due to mental disorders was posed to have a slight role in affecting people to show criminal behavior. Another cause looked at was the combination of genetic and environmental factors, with a possible result of having a higher risk for criminal behavior.
They also explore the myths about the connection between genetic factors and criminal behavior. The first myth they looked at was "Identifying the Role of Genetics in Criminal Behavior Implies That There Is a "Crime Gene."" This myth is dismissed because of the unlikelihood that that a single gene is responsible for criminal behavior. The second myth they look at is "Attributing Crime to Genetic Factors is Deterministic." This myth is also easily dismissed because of the fact that just because someone has a predisposition to a certain behavior doesn't mean that the person will take on that behavior.
They also look at Genetic Epidemiological Studies. These three studies deal with twins in relation to their families and adoption. These studies were set up to further look at both environmental and genetic influence in relation to criminal conduct. Looking at the relationship between biological, adoptive parents, and children (some twins, others not) and the results of being separated from biological parents at birth or soon after were the main purposes of these studies. The studies were conducted in three different countries, with an attempt to see if these factors related to the children's