Factors which Create the Criminal - Essay Example

The causes of crime, as in the factors which create the criminal as opposed to the motives for a specific crime, are the of heated debate between biologists and sociologists. Biologists maintain that criminals and crime are a product of biological factors such as inherited psychiatric disorders or brain defects, while a significant percentage of sociologists contend that the social environment is the primary determinant of the development of criminality (Gibbs, 1995). Both these explanations, insofar as they unwaveringly insist that crime and criminality are the outcome of ether biological or environmental/sociological factors, are unsatisfactory. However, both of these explanations are unsatisfactory. According to Horowitz (1984), in an effort to attain a better and more accurate understanding of the factors which influence the development of criminality, sociologists and psychologists, have investigated the phenomenon of psychopathology, following the identification of the aforementioned disorder as common to all criminals. The stated investigation, fortified by sociological, psychological and scientific data, has determined that psychopathology, hence, criminality, is either a consequence of biological disorder whose effects are increased due to exposure to unhealthy social factors, or a result of social factors such as poverty, exposure to unstable and unhealthy family environments or violent communities which in turn, lead to the development of social pathology, or anti-social and destructive behavior (Horowitz, 1984: 95-96, 98). Consequently, when disputing the contention that criminality is the outcome of biological factors, sociologists are basing their argument for the centrality of socio-psychological causal factors, on established facts. Certainly, a number of biological disorders may be responsible for the development of criminality but, environmental factors supersede the biological factors as shall be argued. Scientists have identified exactly three biological, or natural causes, for psychopathology and criminality. These are brain and genetic defects and chemical imbalances. As stated by Fischman (2000) neurological research and studies have proven that damage to a specific area of the brain, located "just above the eyes," leads to the development of both psychopathology (Fischman, 2000). This area, known as the orbital frontal cortex, is responsible for "judgment and impulse control" (Fischman). This area can be injured through serious head wounds but, that damage and its effects take some time to develop. Thus, there is no way of immediately controlling its effects as there is no method of detecting whether or not that area of the brain has been damaged until that damage is fully developed (Fischman, 2000). A second biological defect, identified as one of the causes for delinquency and psychopathology, is the presence of an additional Y chromosome in male genes (Gibbs, 1995). The third identified biological cause of criminality and psychopathology, which is chemical imbalance, is easier to deal with and control. The first form of chemical imbalance is the increase of the testosterone levels in the bodies of men. Science has discovered that this chemical is responsible for "aggression, risk-taking and low-impulse control" (Does testosterone,' 1993). Furthermore statistics show that men who have high levels of testosterone are "28% more likely" to be involved in crimes than those who have normal levels of this chemical (Does testosterone,' 1993). The second type of chemical imbalance causing aggression is a "low level of serotonin" in the body (Gibbs, 1995). This chemical "inhibits the secretion of stomach acid and stimulates smooth muscle and in the brain functions as a neurotransmitter" (Gibbs, 1995). Accordingly, low levels of serotonin cause the heart rate to be much slower than normal, which is a symptom of sociopathology (Gibbs, 1995). That is, those who have low levels of serotonin in their bodies are not capable of feeling fear or excitement in the same way as those who have normal levels. This lack of fear really means the absence of one of the greatest preventions of crime, which is the fear of punishment (Brennan, 1999). Also, their inability to experience excitement motivates them to commit crime in order to feel that excitement (Brennan, 1999). In other words, and on the basis of established scientific evidence, chemical imbalance may function as an integral componential element in the development of criminality. Even though the scientific evidence forwarded in favor of crime as an outcome of biological disorders, and criminality as an inherently biological phenomenon, cannot be disputed, it hardly provides a thorough understanding of the phenomenon of criminality. As argued by Ferrall (2000) the presence of the above mentioned biological disorders can play a profound role in the development of criminal behavior but they do not necessarily determine the development of criminality. Instead, and as sociologists would probably argue, the discussed biological factors lead to criminality only when they unfold within the context of an environmental, or sociological framework which encourages such behavioral patterns (Ferrall, 2000). Consequently, the key to the evolution of criminal behavior, irrespective of the presence of biological disorders encouraging criminality, is primarily dependant upon on sociological/environmental factors. Sociologists have identified a number of environmental factors that lead to the development of psychopathological criminality. The point here, as with the biological factors, is that these negative environmental factors cannot be separated from the biological ones due to the fact that they have a biological effect as they produce the mental disorder of sociopathology or psychopathology (Brennan, 1999). For instance, if children are exposed to a great deal of violence in their environment, they become desensitized to violence in the sense that they do not react to it and do not fear it (Brennan, 1999). In this case, most children who have been desensitized to violence become "non-anxious guiltless psychopaths," of either the "reactive" or "proactive" type (Brenna, 1999n). The proactive psychopathic criminal suffers from low levels of serotonin and is extremely cold and fearless. Accordingly, they search for excitement through the committing of crimes (Brennan, 1999). The reactive psychopathic criminal, on the other hand, suffers chemical imbalances which produce the opposite effect in that they are always on the defensive towards "a real or imagined threat in the environment," and react aggressively towards that threat (Brennan, 1999). In other words, the negative social factors that an individual is exposed to in his environment do have a biological effect, leading to the development of psychopathology and criminal behavior. The most important of those negative social factors is the family environment whereby those individuals who are exposed to unstable and unhealthy family lives do have a very high tendency to develop delinquent behavior. As Jeff Latimer writes in "A Meta-Analytic Examination of Youth and Delinquency, Family Treatment, and Recidivism," the family plays an important role in the development of criminality and criminal behavioral patterns. More specifically, "negative parent-child relationships" are an important cause of psychopathic delinquency (Latimer, 2001). In the first place, the parents are the first form of authority that the child comes into contact with, and his relationship with that authority will determine his attitude to all forms of authority such as the law (Levy, 2001). Thus, if the child is exposed to parents that are abusive, drug users, or have a criminal background, they will grow to disrespect that authority and do their best to escape from its control. This will be their same attitude towards the law because it represents authority which they have learnt to disrespect and to disobey (Levy, 2001). As such, studies on convicted criminals revealed that the majority had very negative and tense relationships with their parents, as compared to the majority of non delinquent children who enjoyed a healthy relationship with their parents (Levy, 2001). In this way, if criminals are "undisciplined and dangerous people with negative attitudes towards authority" this is because they were raised in an unhealthy family environment that taught them to disrespect and even hate authority (Levy, 2001). Just as a negative family environment can produce disrespect for authority, which is the first step towards criminality, it also produces psychopathology and antisocial behavior (Rosenblatt et al., 2000). That is, individuals who were victims of abuse in the family, or neglect, grow up with an unhealthy psychological attitude towards society. They feel that they are the victims of society and this motivates them to continuously act as if they are taking revenge against it for what they see as society's neglect and abuse of them (Horowitz, 1984: 98-99). That revenge comes in the form of violent crimes which juvenile delinquents are able to commit in the first place because their circumstances have transformed them into either reactive or proactive psychopathic delinquents. Violent crime is a problem which threatens society and which claims countless victims per year, emphasizing the importance of identifying the causal factors of criminality. While many have argued that criminal behavior is an outcome of biological disorders, this argument is incomplete. As sociologists would probably argue, biological disorders may be valid explanation for the development of criminality, but it is only a partial one. Without a sociological environment which supports, encourages and teaches criminality, the biological disorders linked to criminality may not function to determine the development of criminal behavior. Instead, and even while acknowledging the validity of the biological argument, sociologists would probably maintain the supremacy of the socio-psychological theory for the development of criminality. Bibliography Brennan, P.A., 1999, Biosocial risk factors and juvenile violence,' Federal Probation, [Online], vol. 63, no. 2. Available from: EBSCOhost [4 January 2006]. Does testosterone trigger crime,' 1993, USA Today Magazine, [Online], vol. 122, no. 2580. Available from: EBSCOhost [4 January 2006]. Ferrall, B.R., 2000, Criminology theory,' Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, [Online], vol. 91, no. 1. Available from: EBSCOhost [4 January 2006]. Fischman, J, 2000, Seeds of a sociopath,' U.S. News and World Report, [Online], vol. 129, no. 20. Available from: EBSCOhost [4 January 2006]. Gibbs, W., 1995, Seeking the criminal element,' Scientific American, [Online], vol. 272, no. 3. Available from: EBSCOhost [4 January 2006]. Horowitz, A. V., 1984, The economy and Social pathology,' Annual Review of Sociology, [Online], vol. 10: 95-119. Available from: Jstor [4 January 2006]. Latimer, J., 2001, A meta-analytic examination of youth and delinquency, Family treatment and recidivism,' Canadian Journal of Criminology, [Online], vol. 43, no. 2. Available from: EBSCOhost [4 January 2006]. Levy, K., 2001, The relationship between adolescent attitudes towards authority, self-concept, and delinquency,' Adolescence, vol. 36, no. 142. Available from: EBSCOhost [4 January 2006]. Rosenblatt, J. A., et al., 2000, Criminal behavior and emotional disorder,' Journal of Behavioral Health Services and Research, [Online], vol. 27, no. 2. Available from: EBSCOhost [4 January 2006]. Read More