Crime and Criminals | Genetics May Influence Criminal Behavior

Richard J. Herrnstein argues in the following viewpoint that while environment may influence criminality, so, too, do genetic factors. Studies show that adopted children with a biological parent who is a criminal have an increased risk of engaging in criminal behavior. Furthermore, Herrnstein asserts, other studies have found that certain genetic physical traits, such as gender, muscularity, and an extra Y chromosome, also increase the risk of criminality. Therefore, he argues, it is irrefutable that criminal behavior has a genetic source. The late Herrnstein was the Edgar Pierce...

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