US public views toward biosocial risk factors for criminality: a brief report
| Published date | 04 December 2017 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JCRPP-07-2017-0022 |
| Pages | 294-299 |
| Date | 04 December 2017 |
| Author | Colleen M. Berryessa |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Criminology & forensic psychology |
Brief research paper
US public views toward biosocial risk
factors for criminality: a brief report
Colleen M. Berryessa
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to present preliminary survey data measuring attitudes of members
of the US public on the importance, existence, and potential legal use of biologicalrisk factors for criminality.
Design/methodology/approach –Survey data were collected from an online sample of US public in
conjunction with an experiment not included in this report.
Findings –Data suggest that the public generally agrees that there are certain biological characteristics
that make one more likel y to exhibit criminality. The publi c does not appear to agree on whether or n ot this
type of evidence should b e allowed in court, but the large majority o f respondents were worried about its
potential misuse.
Practical implications –Social risk factors were generally viewed by respondents as more important to
explaining criminality, suggesting that sociological views of crime may be still more prevalent in the lay public.
Worries about biosocial risk factor evidence being misused in court have been previously discussed in
academic literature, but the public also appears to share these concerns. The public especially worries that
this kind of evidence could be used to incorrectly excuse an offender’s behavior, showing that they may be
weary of this evidence in court as potential jurors. Attitudes of many members of the public on these issues
may be affected by academic disagreement in the criminology community on the importance of these issues.
Originality/value –Scholars have emphasized the need for discussionon how the US public views biosocial
risk factors for criminality. As there are no known data of this type, these data are the first of their kind.
Keywords Law, Offenders, Public opinion, Risk, Courts, Biosocial
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Research on biological characteristics that are thought to increase the likelihood for the
development of criminal behavior, especially when paired with social characteristics associated
with criminality, has grown in recent years in the criminological literature. There are many
well-supported examples of such risk factors. Low resting heart rate and reduced skin
conductance (suggesting low stress reactivity and arousal), minor physical anomalies related to
problems with fetal development, prenatal nicotine and alcohol exposure when a mother drinks
or smokes when she is pregnant, reduced testosterone levels, low verbal IQ, brain damage
to brain areas related to emotion and impulse control, and mutations of the MAO-A gene related
to serotonin dysfunction are some of the most studied biosocial risk factors in recent years
(see Yang et al., 2014 for a review of literature).
Yet there is still litt le agreement within the criminology co mmunity on the overa ll significance
and relevance of these characteristics, known as biosocial risk factors, to understanding the
causes or correlates of crime. Some criminologists argue that biosocial risk factors only
contribute to knowledge on individual offending and not on general or patterned criminal
Received 12 July 2017
Revised 13 July 2017
Accepted 14 July 2017
This research was supported by
the American Academy of Forensic
Psychology. The author thanks
Sara-Laure Faraji and Frewine
Ogbaselase who provided aid
during this project.
Colleen M. Berryessa is based
at the Department of
Criminology, University of
Pennsylvania, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, USA.
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JOURNAL OF CRIMINOLOGICAL RESEARCH, POLICY AND PRACTICE
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VOL. 3 NO. 4 2017, pp.294-299, © Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 2056-3841 DOI 10.1108/JCRPP-07-2017-0022
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