Born to crime : the genetic causes of criminal behavior / Lawrence Taylor.

  • Taylor, Lawrence, 1942-
Date:
1984
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Credit: Born to crime : the genetic causes of criminal behavior / Lawrence Taylor. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Foundations 13 of the execution, the number of pickpockets plying their trade among the onlooicing crowd always increased dramatically dur¬ ing such hangings.^ It would be nice if rational approaches to punishment such as the Becker-Ehrlich model were valid. But they are not. In fact, the Becker-Ehrlich model itself has been repeatedly challenged on the grounds that it has glaring shortcomings and, when ex¬ amined critically, does not lead to the claimed testable hypoth¬ esis regarding the [deterrent] effect of punishment of crime. In fact, after reviewing extensive research in the area, two scientists have concluded that little or no progress has been made during the past 10 years in our understanding of the potential deterrent effects of punishment on crime. Yet deterrence continues to be a primary purpose behind the imposition of punishment. Assume that the deterrence theory is correct, that potential criminals operate in accordance with Bentham's views and ra¬ tionally weigh the possible punitive consequences of each con¬ templated criminal act. Does this theory not take for granted that potential criminals are capable of altering their conduct in ac¬ cordance with this rational thought process? But what happens to the deterrent theory if we find that a potential criminal's be¬ havior has biological origins, that is, that this conduct is strongly influenced, if not determined, by genetic factors? We know we cannot deter an insane person because his or her conduct is the result of a mental disease or defect. Can we effectively deter an individual whose conduct is the result of a genetic disease or de¬ fect? The fourfli and final theory of punishment is the one cur¬ rently in the greatest vogue: rehabilitation. This approach to punishment suggests that both society and the offender receive the greatest benefit if the offender can be reformed. Thus any punishment should be designed to reshape the offender's at¬ titudes. Past negative environmental influences must be coun¬ tered with future positive environmental influences. The prison should serve not to isolate or punish individuals but as an op¬ portunity to educate them, teach them a trade and socialize them. If supervised probation or rehabilitative programs can bet¬ ter serve the purposes of rehabilitation than can prison, they should be considered the most effective form of punishment.