Criminological Theories Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Criminological Theories - Assignment Example Personal opinion as to whether the police department would consider genetic findings as important is incorporated. Likewise, the dangers of the possibility of criminal genes are expounded with personal ideas. The consequences of criminal gene in the criminal justice if proven to be true were also explained. Introduction When an ordinary person commits a crime, people usually do not care but when a celebrity shop lifts, the whole story spreads like fire and speculators begin to dissect the cause of such action. This is because it is unbelievable for celebrated individuals to behave in such manner. Experts also agree with their belief that well known people will not carry out such petty crime to ruin their long established reputation. They hold on to the idea that the genetic makeup of the person might have been involved in the act. Less clear however is the role of genes in the commission of the crime. Addressing the following questions suggests that genes are responsible. Discuss the merits of the idea that genetics are a source for criminal behavior There had been considerable evidence that genes are implicated in the criminal behavior in some individuals for the past several years. ... They also disclosed that not only males with high testosterone demonstrate aggressiveness but females as well. Hostility is observed in females with high levels of saliva measurement. Apart from this, females demonstrate a pattern of aggressiveness and irritability during their menstrual period. In fact, about 70% of crimes committed by women were executed during their premenstrual period or before the onset of their menstruation. Hormones are known to exert strong influence on both conscious and unconscious behavior because it induces brain events prompting the individual to behave in certain ways. Another study also pointed the role of MOA-A genes in behavior. Genes carrying a repeat in 3 alleles is strongly identified to precipitate criminal behavior however has to interplay with psychosocial factors (Nilsson et al. 2006). Twin studies also support the declaration that genetics increases the risk of criminal behavior. The study of Mednick, Gabrielli, and Hutchings (1987) provided an interesting finding of both dizygotic and monozygotic twins. Although there is a slight difference in the percentage of criminal tendency between identical and fraternal twins, their study of more than three thousand twin pairs in Denmark affirmed that twin pairs inherit the criminal characteristics of their biological parents. Identical twins accounts for 52% risk from criminal behavior while fraternal twins showed about 22% vulnerability. It was also reported that adoptees whose fathers are convicted of certain crime have high proportion of criminal behavior despite the non divulgence of parents to the adoptees regarding their crime compared with children whose fathers do not have criminal records. Other similar studies on identical twins