1. Goodbye to the “Hedonistic Calculators” and Hello to “Born Criminals”

2. Saying Goodbye to RCT
WHY DOESN’T DETERRENCE/RCT RECEIVE MUCH EMPIRICAL SUPPORT?
POLICY IMPLICATIONS

3. Why little support for deterrence?
We can’t get certain, severe, swift enough
The theory is based on bad assumptions
How rational are we?
Equality of opportunity, pleasure, pain?
“Marginal” deterrence!

4. POLICY IMPLICATIONS
General Deterrence: certain, swift, and severe punishment reduces crime rates, or the probability that an individual will offend
Specific Deterrence: CS&S punishment reduces recidivism
Can’t/Won’t make sentences swift, certain, and severe enough?
Incapacitate (no opportunity) or Target Harden

5. Biology and Crime Early Positivism: the legacy of the early 1900s
Sociological Criticism and Dominance
New Directions in Biological research
Biosocial Interactions

6. Early Biological Positivism
Lombroso’s “born criminal”
Darwinistic theory of “atavism”
Various theories of the “feeble-minded”
Charles Goring, E.A. Hooten
body stature and weight
The XYY supermale
Commonality? 1 immutable factor directly causes crime

7. Biology from s
Any hint of “biological research” was ridiculed, ignored, treated as “taboo.”
Akers: this criticism was warranted
The use of “knowledge destruction?”
1990s-present: rebirth of biological research
Is modern biological research or theory any better?

8. Is Crime “inherited?” Twin Studies Adoption studies
Christianson (1977)
“Concordance” rates: MZ (36%), DZ (12%)
Criticism of twin studies?
Adoption studies
“cross fostering” analyses
criminal history of biological parents vs. adoptive parents

9. Cross Fostering Analysis

10. Assuming that something is inherited...
“Intelligence” (Monday’s Class)
“Physiological Arousal”
How our body processes stimuli
cortical arousal, CNS measures (heart rate, etc.)
Personality/Temperament (Wednesday)
ADD, ADHD??

11. A “Biosocial” emphasis
No modern theory relies solely on biology
Interaction of biology and social factors
Example: Mednick’s biosocial theory
1.Children refrain from crime when consistently socialized to do so
2.Socialization = parental efficacy X child’s learning ability
3. Some children don’t feel “sting” of punishment

12. POLICY IMPLICATIONS Early Positivism Biosocial Criminology
Eugenics (quotes from Hooten, others)
Biosocial Criminology
Biology may identify “high risk” kids
Prevention can target “social” factors