Monday, January 11, 2010

Criminality in the Genes

From left to right, the structures of A, B and...Image via Wikipedia
I have this theory, criminals are born not made. It isn't nurture it's nature. If it was up to me, I would sterilize all convicted criminals to prevent them from having children.OK, go ahead and vote for me.
Now this news item of collective DNA of juvenile offenders makes sense. It's only the first step to what I consider a good policy of preventing crminals from breeding and multiplying. 
Sometimes I write tongue in cheek, this time I'm dead serious. A long time ago I read about a man who was convincted as a serial rapist. It made the news because his father was also a rapist. That was no surprise to me. It just makes sense.
For too long we've passed the blame of recalcitrant behaviour on the environment and have excused criminal behavior because of a person's circumstances. People brought up in poverty must always be thieves...the Oliver Twist syndrome...
In America, jails are called correctional facilities. Get real, you can't correct criminal behavior it's in the genes.
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10 comments:

Alice in Wonderland said...

I fully agree that there are second and third generations of kids running feral in the streets these days! They grow up not knowing right from wrong, and know no better than their peers. Many of these kids come from backgrounds that were just the same, no matter where you live, but on saying that, I disagree with the Oliver Twist Theory. Oliver was a good boy, it was only circumstances that he fell into the hands of the Artful Dodger and Fagin.
Very interesting post!

Jeannie said...

There is definitely a certain amount of behavioral tendencies that are passed down genetically. My sister was adopted and found her birth mother a number of years ago and learned a lot. Although raised by the same parents, her general behaviors are much more like her birth mother than the rest of us.

I think our ancestors knew this long ago and this is why adoption was always looked down on as an option to having kids - if the kid was from a bad family - they had a tendency to turn out bad.

Stucco said...

What about Phrenology? Going a little Gattaca on us, eh?

Lexcen said...

Alice, "Oliver Twist" theory is that children are taught to steal rather than are born thieves.

Jeannie, we agree.

Stucco, you mean eugenics.

Anonymous said...

It's nature AND nurture, not nature alone which "usually" leads to criminality.

I think you assume criminal behavior to always be a bad thing. But the very survival of these genes in the human gene pool should lead you to conclude differently... that these so-called "bad" genes have a purpose that has contributed to human species survival.

If you want me to cite cases, I'd point to the Spartan agoge.

Diversity really is a strength.

Lexcen said...

FJ, I am guilty of generalization because when I refer to criminal behavior I'm not referring to misdemeanors like parking offenses or petty theft. Rape and murder are more in my line of thinking. But then burglars would fit into that category as well. Armed holdups would as well. Corporate criminals are probably in the category of what you refer to. I did read an interesting book on the Naples underworld titled Gomorrah by Roberto Saviaono where a reader would come to the conclusion that crime is a product of the environment, and his book makes a very good case for that idea.

(((Thought Criminal))) said...

Retro-phrenology is the key.

If people don't have the right lumps on their heads, put them there, with a hammer.

Anonymous said...

I think that if you match criminals to the appropriate legal profession, you'll see bad genes made good.

ie - hit man / sniper
armed robber / repo man or process server
rapist / porn star

Lexcen said...

Thief/conman/liar = lawyer

prostitute = gold digger/social climber

sociopath = CEO

hypocrite = politician

Anonymous said...

Now you've got it! :(

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