sWhen talking about biology and its involvement in criminology people are always skeptical about the reliability of it. Biology is not something many are a fan of because of the history behind its involvement in criminology. Going back to its origins we can trace back Lombroso’s idea of being born a criminal because of specific features one held. When looking further into his work many can trace back he targeted specific groups of people, people who fall below him in the evolutionary hierarchy according to him. Many people feel like biology gives people an opportunity to racially profile criminals which shouldn’t be the case. But even though it is a possibility there is also pros to the idea of biology, for example people where suggesting neuropsychological and psychological testing could help determine the issue a prisoner may be going through and give them appropriate care. With the appropriate they state they can not only improve the person but potentially keep them from going to prison again.
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Hey Jennifer, I also think that people are too distrusting of this field of study due to the bad implementations we saw in the past. Such conclusions based off unreliable data and baseless evidence should not happen in that way again with modern science. I totally agree about the benefits of this research, and how it can help prisoners. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this subject.
I agree with the pros that you gave. I believe that using those neuropsychological and psychological tests would be the best way to know what’s going on in their minds and to avoid coming back to prison. Very accurate your answer.
Based upon the described limitations and the ethical implications along with the potential for misuse, I believe that genetics and biology being integrated into criminology should be used but noted that it cannot be looked solely get an answer to these matters. The reason someone may commit a crime are vast. As the article states, risks associated with using biological factors to predict criminal behavior have limitations. There is a risk of biased information, racist findings, and racial profiling to name a few. I agree with Callie Burt and others that behavior is not easy to measure. I believe in order to get a better finding into what causes a person to commit criminal acts, you have to look into all of the factors that could have an affect such as a person’s upbringing, environment they reside in (Is crime present and accepted by the residents in the community?), medical issues, chemical addictions, as well as mental illness to name just a few.
If we want to understand what causes criminal actions, any reasons for such need to be looked into and compared to find a possible answer.
I agree with your opinion that biology should be looked into regarding criminology. I also agree with you regarding looking into a person’s psychological state of mind. However, when doing so, it has to be clear that a person did not have the mental capacity to understand their crime as opposed to offering it as an excuse for them committing a crime.
I agree with you where you said that some people are using race as an excuse to lock up somebody just because biology gives them an opportunity. I also agree that they should just stick with the neuropsychological and psychological testing that you stated instead of making racist decisions.
Hi Jennifer! I agree with you, I like the pros of biology that you explain, as this could be a breakthrough and help for the prisoners to deal with those biological causes that have led them to criminality. However, I also feel that biology also leads to racial discrimination and treatment, since as we have read in the article, for years studies have been done comparing certain specific groups with the danger and likelihood of criminal behavior.