Brain injury
TBIs occur after trauma on the brain, such as falling from a height. It can also be caused by long-term
alcohol or drug use. Personality or behaviours may change as the result of a TBI, sometimes the
behaviours that people engage in can be reckless
Damage to the frontal lobe can result in people having less control over their impulses increasing
aggression, damage to frontal lobe negatively affects ability to consider alternative behaviours, damage
to the amygdala can lead to impaired threat and fear perception, resulting in people interpreting things
differently, damage to PFC leads to impaired impulse control
Strengths:
- Williams et al. 60% of 196 prisoners had form of TBI, adults with TBI relatively younger at entry the
prison system than those without TBI and were more likely to reoffend. Williams suggested that TBI’s
effect development of temperament, temperance, social judgement and control impulses, injury may
also contribute to a greater level of risk-taking behaviour.
- Supporting case studies with Phineas Gage
Weaknesses:
- When reviewing the effect of brain injury on criminal behaviour, other comorbid conditions should be
considered. For example, many offenders have a history of substance abuse, cause-and-effect also
needs to be established. Childhood trauma / violence could also cause criminal behaviours.
- Kreutzer et al. unable to prove or disprove a cause-and-effect between TBI and violence, 20% of
PPTS had been arrested pre-injury, and 10% post-injury. Most arrests occurred after use of alcohol or
, Other brain related factors
The Amygdala – is responsible Sham rage – Introduced by Cannon and Britton, used to describe an
for controlling human emotional state found in animals. It involved severing neural
emotions, damage to it can connections to the cortex of cats & caused them to show rage
result in the person presenting behaviours e.g. growling & bearing of the teeth. It was originally
as unemotional or reacting believed that the behaviour was to do with the cerebral cortex,
excessively to their emotions. although it is to do with the amygdala, when it is ablated, the
Evidence for this comes from animals are placid, and when it is stimulated, aggression is
the brain scanning of displayed
psychopaths, and their Evaluation – Sham rage studies can be criticised for lack
amygdala's work significantly of generalisability for humans, animals don't have the capacity to
differently. Pardini found Raine's study
inhibit their – Raine carried
aggression out a study
with higher order on 41 murderers
thinking, althoughpleading
smaller amygdalae among NGRI & 41 controls,
Narabayashi's looking
work on at differences
humans in brain
supports sham ragestructure. The
individuals diagnosed with PPTS' had a tracer injected into their brains, and by using PET
psychopathic personalities as scans, it was found that there were lower levels of glucose
well as those have higher metabolism in the prefrontal cortex, this area has been linked with
levels of aggression. Those impulsivity, there were also differences in the hippocampus &
with smaller amygdalae were General evaluation – While there may be brain structure that
amygdala
3x more likely to exhibit contribute to the likelihood of aggressive behaviours, there may be
aggression, violence & others who do not act in a callous or emotional way, therefore brain
psychopathic features. structure cannot be the only factor that leads to aggression. Robert
Evaluation – This is supported Hare demonstrates how psychopaths are not just found in the
by the case study of Charles criminal population, he points out that some characteristics, such as
a lack of empathy are suited for high-level management positions
, XYY syndrome
XYY syndrome – A condition that occurs when a human Twin studies: MZ twins share all of their
male has an extra Y chromosome, this occurs in 1 in genetic information, where DZ share 50%. If
1000 males, is not inherited, but occurs randomly. MZ are more alike, than DZ, then this isdue
Many men don't even know that they have XYY to genes, rather than environment.
syndrome although some grow faster & taller than Slutske et al. Have shown that there is
usual. Those with XYY tend to have slightly lower some higher incidence of conduct disorder
levels of intelligence, although still within the normal in twins when compared to singletons
range, & some may have behaviour problems & be Adoption studies: One problem with twins is
easily distracted. It was previously though to make that they can be brought up in a similar
men overly aggressive & to lack empathy. Diesc way, so it is hard to determine between
reported that children with XYY more likely to have genetic and environmental factors.
temper tantrums. Hutchings and Mednick studied male
adoptees and discovered that 85.7% of
Strengths: males with a criminal or minor offences had
- Theilgaard There was a small presence of XYY a birth father with a criminal recorded, they
among the criminal population also noted male adoptees without a
- Money et al. Found XYY disrupted a child’s criminal father had a criminal recored
education 31.1% of the time
- Application to helping those with XYY
Weaknesses:
- Reductionist as it does not take social factors into
account
TBIs occur after trauma on the brain, such as falling from a height. It can also be caused by long-term
alcohol or drug use. Personality or behaviours may change as the result of a TBI, sometimes the
behaviours that people engage in can be reckless
Damage to the frontal lobe can result in people having less control over their impulses increasing
aggression, damage to frontal lobe negatively affects ability to consider alternative behaviours, damage
to the amygdala can lead to impaired threat and fear perception, resulting in people interpreting things
differently, damage to PFC leads to impaired impulse control
Strengths:
- Williams et al. 60% of 196 prisoners had form of TBI, adults with TBI relatively younger at entry the
prison system than those without TBI and were more likely to reoffend. Williams suggested that TBI’s
effect development of temperament, temperance, social judgement and control impulses, injury may
also contribute to a greater level of risk-taking behaviour.
- Supporting case studies with Phineas Gage
Weaknesses:
- When reviewing the effect of brain injury on criminal behaviour, other comorbid conditions should be
considered. For example, many offenders have a history of substance abuse, cause-and-effect also
needs to be established. Childhood trauma / violence could also cause criminal behaviours.
- Kreutzer et al. unable to prove or disprove a cause-and-effect between TBI and violence, 20% of
PPTS had been arrested pre-injury, and 10% post-injury. Most arrests occurred after use of alcohol or
, Other brain related factors
The Amygdala – is responsible Sham rage – Introduced by Cannon and Britton, used to describe an
for controlling human emotional state found in animals. It involved severing neural
emotions, damage to it can connections to the cortex of cats & caused them to show rage
result in the person presenting behaviours e.g. growling & bearing of the teeth. It was originally
as unemotional or reacting believed that the behaviour was to do with the cerebral cortex,
excessively to their emotions. although it is to do with the amygdala, when it is ablated, the
Evidence for this comes from animals are placid, and when it is stimulated, aggression is
the brain scanning of displayed
psychopaths, and their Evaluation – Sham rage studies can be criticised for lack
amygdala's work significantly of generalisability for humans, animals don't have the capacity to
differently. Pardini found Raine's study
inhibit their – Raine carried
aggression out a study
with higher order on 41 murderers
thinking, althoughpleading
smaller amygdalae among NGRI & 41 controls,
Narabayashi's looking
work on at differences
humans in brain
supports sham ragestructure. The
individuals diagnosed with PPTS' had a tracer injected into their brains, and by using PET
psychopathic personalities as scans, it was found that there were lower levels of glucose
well as those have higher metabolism in the prefrontal cortex, this area has been linked with
levels of aggression. Those impulsivity, there were also differences in the hippocampus &
with smaller amygdalae were General evaluation – While there may be brain structure that
amygdala
3x more likely to exhibit contribute to the likelihood of aggressive behaviours, there may be
aggression, violence & others who do not act in a callous or emotional way, therefore brain
psychopathic features. structure cannot be the only factor that leads to aggression. Robert
Evaluation – This is supported Hare demonstrates how psychopaths are not just found in the
by the case study of Charles criminal population, he points out that some characteristics, such as
a lack of empathy are suited for high-level management positions
, XYY syndrome
XYY syndrome – A condition that occurs when a human Twin studies: MZ twins share all of their
male has an extra Y chromosome, this occurs in 1 in genetic information, where DZ share 50%. If
1000 males, is not inherited, but occurs randomly. MZ are more alike, than DZ, then this isdue
Many men don't even know that they have XYY to genes, rather than environment.
syndrome although some grow faster & taller than Slutske et al. Have shown that there is
usual. Those with XYY tend to have slightly lower some higher incidence of conduct disorder
levels of intelligence, although still within the normal in twins when compared to singletons
range, & some may have behaviour problems & be Adoption studies: One problem with twins is
easily distracted. It was previously though to make that they can be brought up in a similar
men overly aggressive & to lack empathy. Diesc way, so it is hard to determine between
reported that children with XYY more likely to have genetic and environmental factors.
temper tantrums. Hutchings and Mednick studied male
adoptees and discovered that 85.7% of
Strengths: males with a criminal or minor offences had
- Theilgaard There was a small presence of XYY a birth father with a criminal recorded, they
among the criminal population also noted male adoptees without a
- Money et al. Found XYY disrupted a child’s criminal father had a criminal recored
education 31.1% of the time
- Application to helping those with XYY
Weaknesses:
- Reductionist as it does not take social factors into
account
