Theories of Crime Causation Unit2 IP - Research Paper Example

Both the individual and society are to be blamed for crime commission because , as much as an individual may or may not wish to commit a crime, there must be some reasons for him to do so, most of which are based on social issues. Research conducted shows that genes play a great in the criminality of a person. This is attributed to the fact that having a genetic makeup or disposition for criminal acts does not determine the behavior of a person but if they are exposed to a criminal environment, then their possibility are higher for participating in anti-social or criminal behavior.

This paper will assess the distinct functions that genetics has in the anti-social or criminal behavior. Montangle and Walker used theory XYY to determine how genes contribute to anti-social or criminal behaviors. In their research, they established that twenty percent genotype is the most propellant factor of criminality of an individual. They conducted twin, adoption, and testosterone studies (Siegel, 2008). The evaluation of behaviors of two identical twins and their fraternal has shown that their criminal rates are high.

This led to a conclusion that genetics and environmental factors are the main contributors of criminal behaviors. . The adoption studies discovered that environment influence makes biological parents and adopted children share common criminal behaviors (Schmalleger, 2012). The research showed that children born from incarcerated females felons or offenders have high rates of criminal convictions than those that were not born from incarcerated females. The study was based on the children who were born from biological fathers with a history of criminal activities.

The research found out that those children who belong in a family that the biological father had a history of anti-social or criminality behavior, engages themselves in similar criminal activities (Schmalleger, 2012). The results revealed that there is a heritable factor to criminal or anti-social acts. Further, another finding revealed that if a biological or natural background existed for an individual’s criminality, then there was high danger of anti-social or criminal behavior in children who have been adopted.

According to a study conducted in Denmark, Bernstein and Cassel, (2007) argues that, it established that children with biological fathers who had history of property crimes were likely to participate in property crimes but not violent crimes. Most researchers have established that genes do determined anti-social or criminal behaviors particularly for property crimes but not for violent crimes (Bernstein & Cassel, 2007). Behavioral genetic established that criminals or felons are genetically predisposed to anti-social or criminal acts.

The study established that a change in the structural gene from monoamine oxidase A leads to an acute make up of neurotransmitters linked with the body’s fight or violent reaction to stressful cases (Bernstein & Cassel, 2007). The