Biological Explanations of Crime

Genetic characteristics such as intelligence, neurobiology, and neurochemistry were once considered suitable avenues of study in the quest to explain criminal offending and violent behavior. These theories then began a slow decline as they came to be considered less than politically correct and were dropped from many scholars’ research schedules. In recent years various biological theories and explanations of crime have started to gain wider acceptance.

In your journal, reflect upon the social and ethical ramifications of a wider acceptance for biological explanations of crime. Identify how the consideration of biological explanations of crime could affect policy development, policing, and the adjudication of offenders. Your journal entry this week should be at least one page in length.