BIOSOCIAL CRIMINOLOGY:
Challenging Environmentalism's Supremacy
Edited by Anthony Walsh and Lee Ellis
Nova Science Publishers, 2003
Treatment for mental illness today is often woefully inadequate, as is our understanding of the roots of mental disorders. Perhaps the word "mental" is part of the problem, because most people, including professionals, tend to think of "mental" as synonymous with "mind." Instead, as this book helps to demonstrate, they should be thinking of mental illness as a brain problem—a problem far better addressed by physiological interventions than by psychological approaches.
Walsh and Ellis, authors of innumerable books on the subject of mental illness, have provided a comprehensive multidisciplinary review of biosocial criminological theory. Included in this book, in addition to their own information, are chapters by Kanazawa, Tibbetts, Moffitt, Comings, Quadagno, Fishbein, Scarpa, Raine, Gove, and Wilmoth. The book is divided into four parts: "A Theoretical Overview," "Evolutionary Psychology," "Behavior Genetics," and "Brain Functioning: Neurochemistry and Criminology."
Although not as easily readable as some texts, this book will greatly expand the reader's understanding of mental illness as a biologically-rooted problem. It should be required reading, and spark enlightened discussion, in criminology classrooms across America.
Critics are quite right, there are no genes "for" crime, and no
biosocial scientist claims that there are. There are genes,
however, that lead via various neurohormonal routes to traits
(e.g., low levels of empathy, IQ, self-control,
conscientiousness, and fear, and high levels of sensation-
seeking, egoism, negative emotionality, and aggression) that
increase the probability of criminal behavior.
Anthony Walsh in his chapter, "Introduction to
the Biosocial Perspective"
Behavioral genetic studies have found that empathy is highly
variable among individuals, with a heritable coefficient of
around 0.68… Consistent with evolutionary theory and with
what we know about the demographics of crime, these same
studies found females and older males to be more empathetic
(and altruistic) than younger males. The researchers attributed
this finding to testosterone levels "that predispose toward
aggressiveness, which in turn decreases empathy"…..
Chronic criminals remain young children….As they grew
older, they retained their childhood priorities for instant self-
gratification without having developed the emotional inner voice
necessary to generate a sense of discipline, responsibility, and
the recognition of the rights of others.
Stephen G. Tibbetts in his chapter, "Selfishness, Social
Control, and Emotions:
An Integrated Perspective on Criminality"
David E. Comings in his chapter, "Conduct
Disorder: A Genetic, Orbitofrontal Lobe Disorder that is the
Major Predictor of Adult
Antisocial Behavior"
Adult testosterone levels, cortisol levels, and the serotonin
neurotransmitter system are all genetically influenced. Genes
may therefore influence aggression and violence by affecting
these variables throughout life.
David Quadagno in his chapter, "Genes, Brains, Hormones,
and Violence Interactions within Complex Environments"
Lee Ellis in his chapter, "So You Want to Be a Biosocial
Criminologist? Advice from
the Underground"