Essay On Adoption Study

Supportive: Adoption studies have been done on non-twin siblings to determine whether or not there is a statistical link between natural criminal parents and the criminality of their child who is adopted. These studies usually result in a statistical link between the criminality of the natural criminal parent and their adopted child. One such study, “4,000 adopted Danish males found criminal conviction rates of 24.5% among those with natura parents who had been convicted of a crime versus only 14.7 percent among those with natural parents who had not been convicted” (Barken 111). Supportive: There are inherent methodological problems concerning random assignment and early influence in child development that tend to occur in both twin and adoption studies, researchers have turned to molecular genetics to identify the best evidence to support the genetic basis of criminality. Research in molecular genetics has accurately identified multiple genes that may lead to increased criminal behavior. One such gene has been identified as MAOA. A mutations of this gene have been linked with a greater likelihood in the involvement of risk behavior (which includes criminal behavior). Additionally, “Several studies find that young males with mutated MAOA are more likely to be violent, more likely to be in juvenile gangs, and

Even if one were to control for a gene that influenced violence behavior, genes cannot account for a variety of other crimes. (ie theft, drug use, etc.) Additionally, biological explanations concerning genes also can't discern why some violence becomes street crime (assault, battery, domestic violence, etc.) compared to other violence like football or boxing. (Barkly 116). Biogenetic explanations of violent behavior cannot be used in lieu of criminal behavior because they are not the same. Therefore, a biogenetic explanation concerning does not have