Criminology Theory Assignment 2022

CRIMINOLOGY THEORY 1
Criminology Theory
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Institution
Date

CRIMINOLOGY THEORY 2
Q. It is proven that attributes like hair color, eye color, facial and personality features
are passed from generation to generation through family genetics. Why then would we not
expect criminality or criminal behavior to be passed down through genes also? Discuss
using examples to illustrate your idea.
INTRODUCTION
Heredity is the passing down of traits from parents to their children through reproduction,
where the child inherits genetic information from the parents. The DNA in human beings
contains this genetic information that is responsible for passing down traits from one generation
to another. Physical traits that are passed down include eye color, hair color, facial symmetry,
height and facial features such as freckles and dimples. Studies have also shown that character
traits such as a person’s sense of purpose, how they interact with others and how easily and fast
they develop and learn can be influenced by genetics (Anchontaki 2013).
The personality traits that a person develops are influenced by genetics as well as the
environment in which one is brought up in. personality traits are usually unique to that person’s
character. Environmental factors that might affect a person’s personality traits include religion,
school, family, friends and culture. This essay aims to explain the role that genetics plays in
passing down criminal behavior through generations.
NATURE VERSUS NURTURE
Paula Bernstein and Elyse Schein were identical twins who were separated at birth and
adopted by different families. Paula lived in New York while Elyse lived in Paris. They were
reunited at the age of thirty five. Though they grew up in separate environments, they both
worked for their high school newspapers and were interested in film when they joined university.
They had similar tastes in books and music and had similar personalities (Spillus 2011).

CRIMINOLOGY THEORY 3
When children are growing up they tend to look up to their parents as role models. They are
usually very observant and often copy what they see their parents doing. Because of this most of
the parents behaviors can be transmitted to children. It is not uncommon to find the child of a
doctor becoming a doctor himself, or the child of a lawyer becoming a lawyer too. Studies show
that in the same way, crime can also run in families. A study done between the years of 1961 and
2001 showed that of half of the children that were convicted, two third of them came from the
same family. Another study showed that about 800,000 parents who were behind bars also had
close relatives who were convicted (Butterfield 2018)
Children of criminal parents are generally more likely to exhibit criminal behavior in later
years of their lives. Because of the environment they are exposed to, they might end up copying
the behavior of their parents and becoming criminals too. The transfer tends to be highest from
mothers to their daughters, followed by mothers to their sons, then fathers to their daughters and
least from fathers to their sons. This is attributed to the role that the mother usually has in raising
children and the rise in single parent families as well as the commonness of father absenteeism.
In such environments, it is easier for a child to become anti- social and exhibit behavior that can
lead to criminal incarceration (Bolen and Walsh 2013).
Differences in genes can play a role in determining characteristic behavior in people.
Common genetic structures usually determine the characteristics that differentiate species from
each other, such as a dogs loyalty to humans compared to that of a wild animal. These
characteristics are known as instincts. The personality of a person is determined by many
different genes that work together. There is no single gene that can work alone to produce a
particular behavior in a person. Some genes work by increasing a person’s character trait while
others reduce the same character trait. These genetic factors always work with the environment