Criminology
Identify key indicators of involvement in a criminal lifestyle and then identify and explain the varied consequences associated with high levels of criminal propensity.
The key indicators of involvement in a criminal lifestyle include underdeveloped conscience, low perceived risk, (Copes & Vieraitis, 2009); development of a criminal identity (Copes, Hochstetler & Williams, 2008); and various biosocial factors (Beaver, n.d.; Wright, Tibbetts & Daigle, 2008). Lack of internal and external constraint is a related issue that can lead to propensity for a criminal lifestyle. Increasingly, the neurological and biological factors that are associated with criminal behavior are being discovered to be reliable predictors of involvement in a criminal lifestyle (Beaver, n.d.). In general, key indicators of involvement in a criminal lifestyle are both related to nature (biological and genetic factors impacting psychological growth and development); and nurture (environmental factors).
The biological and genetic factors impacting psychological growth and development have been studied less than the environmental...
Those negative interactions with people result in "hardening antisocial attitudes and behaviors." And moreover, their impairments are often exacerbated by "ineffectual parenting." As for the AL offenders, they have none of the inherent impairments that the LCP offenders do; in fact, they are "basically pro-social," Walsh explains, but they are "temporarily derailed by the biological and social upheavals of adolescence." Then what happens as the AL boy moves along through
The author notes that aggression is linked to temperamental, emotional, and cognitive dimensions. Interestingly, pathological aggression that manifests during childhood and tends to be consistent through the individual's youth and childhood tends to be an indicator of future antisocial behavior. Seigel and Victoroff (2009, p. 210), for example, mention "predatory aggression" as a type of aggression that does not relate to others of its kind, since it focuses on
However, for adult criminality, the influence of the genetic factors inherent within the individual's makeup takes on greater significance than the environment. Certain genes may be switched on or off by developmental processes (Wright, Tibbetts, & Daigle 2008: 172). Certain genes also seem to be more strongly influential in predicting criminal behavior in some environments than others. Thus, understanding criminality requires an understanding of genetic factors, not simply epigenetic
There is a great level of disparity and disproportionality in today's criminal justice system and as noted in this work in writing, this is likely the greatest challenge facing professionals in the contemporary criminal justice system and in the criminal justice system in the near future. It is critically important that this disparity and disproportionality be addressed due to the negative and adverse impacts that result from an overzealous
Essay Topic Examples 1. The Genetic Basis of Criminal Behavior: Unraveling the Role of Nature in Criminology: This essay would explore the extent to which genetic factors contribute to criminal behavior. It aims to dissect various research findings that suggest a hereditary component to aggression, antisocial behavior, and the propensity to engage in criminal acts. The analysis would consider twin studies, gene-environment interactions, and the implications of genetic determinism in the
Biological explanations, in contrast to fair and severe punishment as advocated by classical theorists, stress the need for institutionalization and psychological and medical treatment for the 'ill,' but they also offers what seems like a defeatist attitude towards the improvement of the criminal, as the criminal has no rational choice in his or her behavior. The presumption is that irrationally generated behavior cannot be conditioned out of the individual through
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