EMPIRICAL STUDIES ARE CITED IN WHICH OVER 90 PERCENT OF THE HABITUAL CRIMINALS STUDIED WERE FOUND TO HAVE BRAIN DYSFUNCTION. THIS FINDING, BASED ON NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL TESTS. FOR EXAMPLE, DEFINITE NEUROLOGICAL ABNORMALITIES WERE FOUND IN 72 PERCENT OF THE SUBJECTS IN A POPULATION OF VIOLENT-AGGRESSIVE PERSONS. ON THE BASIS OF SUCH FINDINGS, A NEUROSOCIOLOGICAL APPROACH TO EXPLAINING THE NATURE AND CONSEQUENCES OF THE INTERACTION BETWEEN THE BIOLOGICAL INTEGRITY OF THE INDIVIDUAL'S CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM AND THE INDIVIDUAL'S SOCIOECONOMIC MILIEU IS PROPOSED. GENETIC, BIRTH-RELATED, AND OTHER FACTORS (E.G., MALNUTRITION BEFORE AND AFTER BIRTH) IN BRAIN DAMAGE ARE DISCUSSED, WITH A VIEW TOWARD THEIR SIGNIFICANCE IN THE GENESIS OF CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR, PARTICULARLY AMONG MALES. CASE STUDIES ILLUSTRATING THE CONSEQUENCES OF BRAIN DAMAGE ARE CITED. IMPLICATIONS ARE DISCUSSED RELATIVE TO PREDICTION OF RECIDIVISM, PREVENTION AND TREATMENT FOR INDIVIDUAL OFFENDERS (AS OPPOSED TO POPULATION AT LARGE), AND DISCRIMINATION BETWEEN LOW-RISK AND HIGH-RISK OFFENDERS. APPENDED MATERIALS INCLUDE TESTIMONY BY TWO WITNESSES ON LEARNING DISABILITIES AND THEIR ASSOCIATION WITH JUVENILE DELINQUENCY. --IN ENGLISH AND FRENCH (LKM)