Evolution of Criminology in Relation to Social Environments

Introduction

I chose to write my paper about modern genetic research in criminality and human behavior in relation to social, physical and environment findings on human behavior and criminality. I believe that you first need to understand how the field of genetic research was and how it has evolved into what it is today. I will briefly touch on the history and evolution of criminology, its researchers and end with my conclusion based on the research I have reviewed.

Evolution of Criminology: From Sociology to Genetic Research

Early criminology was basically sociology. It was lacking any theoretical findings from biology and psychology. It was studied by sociologists. One of the earlier people in history to study criminality was, Cesare Lombroso (1835–1909), an Italian sociologist working in the late 19th century, he is often called 'the father of criminology'. Lombroso believed that physical anomalies could show if you were a criminal or not. He believed that odd shaped skulls meant that you had a lower IQ and you would be prone to criminal behavior. Over time, others believed his theories were wrong. Edwin H. Sutherland (1883–1950) was an American sociologist and criminologist, often called the “Dean of Criminology”. Sutherland believed later in his career that criminal behavior was a learned trait, referred to as the social learning theory. He believed that “criminal behavior means learning motivation, rationalization, attitudes and techniques to commit the crime” (Criminology, 1924). He believed that criminal behavior was learned through direct social contact, not what one read or viewed.

Modern researchers still use findings from the “Twin Studies”, researched by Karl O. Christiansen and Sarnoff Mednick in 1968 in their work. Christiansen and Mednick studied 3586 pairs of twins. They found that 52% of identical twins and 22% of fraternal twins had some shared criminality. They also noted that non-violent crimes appeared to be genetic but violent crimes appeared to be influenced by social environments, such as having a criminal parent. In recent years there has been a renewed interest in what is now called biosocial criminology. Biosocial criminology is the relationships between human behavior, genes, evolution, neurobiology, and so forth. It is a strong belief that criminalistic behavior is both genetic and environmental. Some believe that environmental stressors can cause otherwise dormant genes to react. Causing one to suffer from say, depression and maybe a psychosis that could lead to criminal behavior. Robert Plomin is a psychologist and professor of behavioral genetics. He believes that genes make up 50% of us and that the other 50% is made up of life experiences and interactions we have throughout our lives.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I believe that modern genetic research shows that we may be genetically prone to criminalistic genes, but they appear to be exasperated by our social and physical environments. In short, if you are raised in a nurturing environment, you are less likely to commit violent crimes. On the other hand, research shows that a violent environment in childhood makes you 40% more likely to commit a violent act as an adolescent. It does appear that more emphasis is placed currently on criminality from an environmental view, but I believe that everyone who has researched this topic over the years has played a pivotal role in getting us to where we are now. With the advancement of DNA, we now can understand and test broader theories. I feel that biosocial criminology and all its theories are still at the beginning faze of it research and that there will be more theories and more discoveries in the years to come. I look forward to learning more about criminology.

Works Cited

1. Schmalleger, Frank. Criminology (Justice Series), 4e. Chapter 3.3, 3.4. https://revel-ise.pearson.com
2. “Environmental Factors Contribute to Juvenile Crime and Violence” (From Juvenile Crime: Opposing Viewpoints, P 83-89, 1997, A E Sadler, ed. -- See NCJ-167319) www.ncjrs.gov/App/Publications/abstract.aspx?ID=167329
3. Jones, M. Caitlin. “Genetic and Environmental Influences on Criminal Behavior”. Rochester Institute of Technology. www.personalityresearch.org/papers/jones
4. Wells, Jessica. Walsh, Anthony. “Criminal Behavior, Criminal Theory”. Online Feb 2019, oxfordre.com/criminology/abstract/10.1093/acrefore/9780190264079.001.0001/acrefore-9780190264079-e-245
5. 'Edwin Sutherland.' New World Encyclopedia. 20 Sep 2017, 20:00 UTC. 11 Jun 2019, www.newworldencyclopedia.org/p/index.php?title=Edwin_Sutherland&oldid=1006855