Criminal Law

Crime is committed every day in the world we live in, with an improve technology and science there has been several types of research on genetics that cause criminal behavior. Genetics and crime, including twin studies, adoption studies, and testosterone studies are all research studies. Some researchers have come to the conclusion that genetics cause criminal behavior and most likely a gene that can be connected to criminals. Genetics are extremely powerful and genetics are a source for criminal behavior.
        Genetic and crime is a research study about crime being hereditary this is not a “monkey see, monkey do” situation. If a person has a criminal record then it is more likely their parents have a criminal record also. It is simply base upon genes, genes are extremely powerful and when a human being produces offspring their genetics has a huge effect on the child. The fact that their natural parents are having such a huge effect on their behavior despite having little or no input in their upbringing clearly shows the influence of genetics. “A Florida State University study founded more than two hundred and fifty young men and women were first questioned while they were in High School and then periodically interviewed for the next 13 years. When they reached their mid-20s and early-30s, during one of the interview they were asked if their natural parents had any type of criminal record and if they had ever been in trouble the law themselves. Young men and women who had a biological parent who had been arrested at some point of their life were up to 4.5 times more likely to have been arrested themselves than those whose natural parents were consider to be law-abiding.” (www.dailymail.co.uk)

Twin studies are quite fascinating, this study consists of twins and crime. Monozygotic and Dizygotic those are two different types of twins. Monozygotic Twins develop from a single egg that develops into two embryos. These particular type of twins share all of their genes. The dizygotic twins develop from two separate eggs, two eggs fertilized at the same time. They share about half the genes of the parents. In the twins childhood some will question do they have the same friends? Do they share the same interest? In a 1983 study by Scarr and McCartney confirm that twins typically do share the same friends and it is genetically influence. If twins share the same friends, do they share the same behavior? It is a possibility that their friends expose them to exhibit delinquent behavior that could eventually lead to crime. According to Rowe and Carey twins do influence each other’s behavior but not only do they imitate each other behavior but together they participate in delinquent behavior as a pair. In 1930 Lange examined thirty men prisoners and discovered that 77% had a criminal for a brother.  (Scott, Carton)

        A child that is adopted and their parents were diagnose with schizophrenia it is most likely the child will have the same disorder. The first adoption study performed on schizophrenia showed that family environment does not change the fact that the child will have a disorder such as schizophrenia. This particular study was performed through interviews of adopted children of biological mothers who were diagnose with schizophrenia, and interviews of adopted children whose biological  parents did not suffer from any type of mental disorders. Majority of the adopted children of schizophrenic mothers suffered from schizophrenia themselves, while the adopted children whose parents did not have schizophrenia also did not have schizophrenia themselves. Therefor it does not matter what type of environment the child is raised in, if their biological parent(s) are suffering from any type of mental disorder it is likely the child will suffer from the disorder. Even if the child is raised by adoptive parents it is likely they will inherit their biological parent’s mental disorder. (Haimowitz, Avi)