Crimes can also be hereditary! A crime record may sweep across the entire facility from one generation to another. It is possible that the great grandfather, the sons and the grandsons can all enjoy free trips on the ageing Luzira Prison bus to serve their sentences because they share criminal genes. While criminals can be bred, they can also be born. This requires serious attention.
A study of young men and women who had been adopted as children found they were up to four and a half more times to have been in trouble with the police if one of their natural parents had a criminal record. According to a study by the Florida State University young men and women who had a biological parent who had been arrested at some point were up to 4.5 times are more likely to be arrested than those whose natural parents were law-abiding.
And the more times the biological parent was in trouble with the law, the more problematic the child was likely to be.
The idea that crime could be in part genetic sounded ridiculous and controversial because most criminologists thought that the root causes of crime are environmental factors such as poverty. The overarching conclusions have been established that genetic influences in life-course persistent offending were larger than environmental influences.
Criminologist, have concluded: that ‘Adoptees who have a biological father or a biological mother who have been arrested previously are significantly more likely to be arrested, sentenced to probation, incarcerated and arrested multiple times. Genes implicated in violence anti-social behavior include one called MAO-A which makes an enzyme which breaks down chemicals in the brain linked to aggression. Rogue versions of MAO-A and other similar genes have previously been found to have the strongest effect when paired with a problematic upbringing.
This science now raises the possibility of genetic testing being used to single out future criminals, potentially allowing them to be arrested before they break the law. Before you get married to someone find out and ensure that they don’t have criminal records in their families. As one adopts children he must ensure that their parents were not criminals.
Decades of research has demonstrated that both genetic and environmental factors play a role in a variety of behaviors in humans and animals. The genetic basis of aggression, however, remains poorly understood. Aggression is a multi-dimensional concept, but it can be generally defined as behavior that inflicts pain or harm on another. Watch out!
