Describe the basic features of biological theories of crime causation. What shortcomings of the biological perspective can you identify?

What will be an ideal response?


The basic assumptions of early biological theories include:
• Human behavior, including criminal tendencies, is genetically based.
• A penchant for crime may be inherited.
• Criminals and deviants are in more primitive developmental stages in the evolutionary process than most people.
A major shortcoming of traditional (early) biological theories is that they suggest the need for extreme social policies, such as the eugenics movement. In addition, there is little empirical support for biological theories of crime causation, and much of the early research on these theories was poorly designed.

Criminal Justice

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