The most famous proponent of this approach is Cesare Lombroso. Lombroso’s work has long since fallen out of favour. Biological Theories of Crime Background. Biological Theory of Crime can be traced back to the nineteen-century work of Cesare Lombroso. Crime is the most dangerous kind of “a social pathology” deviating from the norm, deviant behavior. Criminal behavior results from a complex interplay of social and biological factors. However, some traces still exist. Biological Theories Today. In The Criminal Brain, well-known criminologist Nicole Rafter traces the sometimes violent history of these criminological theories and provides an introduction to current biological theories of crime, or biocriminology, with predictions of how these theories are likely to develop in the future. Such theories often hold that people are biologically predisposed to criminality - they were always going to be criminal. In a study conducted in 1997, Raine used PET scans to compare the brains of two groups: Convicted murderers who had pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity (NGRI), Non-murderers. Biological theorists would also endorse stricter penalties and better law enforcement techniques for crime control, but there are several methods of crime control that are specific to the biological theories of criminality. CRIME CAUSATION: BIOLOGICAL THEORIES Criminal behavior results from a complex interplay of social and biological factors. Biological theories seem to leave little for society to do about crime except to remove criminals from society altogether or forced sterilization (1928 Province of Alberta) Criminologists as social scientists have little exposure to biological theories of crime New developments in the biological … Biological theory The first attempts to explain the term “crime” were of a biological character. Because of its role in emotion and behaviour regulation and control, … Prior to Lombroso’s Biological theory of crime, Cesare Beccaria and Jermey Bentham had introduced the Classical School of Crime. The terms "biological" and "genetic" are often confused, in part due to the fact that they represent overlapping sources of influence. However, biological theories have continued to develop. Therefore, the main backbone elements of crime are personality traits of a potential criminal and the social conditions of life. British Psychologist Adrian Raine is a criminologist who specializes in studies investigating biological correlates of criminal behaviour. Now, the conversation about crime and biological explanations focuses more on the relationship between genetics and crime than the relationship between phenotypic features and crime. Italian School biological explanations have not resonated in criminal justice systems in America. Shortly before his death, Lombroso help his daughter Gina translate the text of Criminal Man for an English speaking audience. The idea that crime is caused by biological defects or deficiencies in the offender was not new when advanced by Lombroso, but it received its most emphatic statement in the work of the Italian school. For this theory of crime to be plausible, it must make a … Crime Causation: Biological Theories Genetic Epidemiological Studies, Gene-environment Interactions, Sex Differences In Genetic Liability To Criminality, Is There A Genetic Liability To Violence? Social factors are a reflection of environmental sources of influence, such as socioeconomic status. The biosocial theory of crime looks at the interaction of biological and social factors that lead a person toward criminal behavior. 1) Biological theories Biological explanations of crime assume that some people are ‘born criminals’, who are physiologically distinct from non-criminals. 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