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IS THERE A HEREDITARY CRIMINALITY?

NCJ Number
56427
Journal
Kriminalistik Volume: 32 Issue: 7 Dated: (JULY 1978) Pages: 294-300
Author(s)
U FUELLGRABE
Date Published
1978
Length
6 pages
Annotation
ARGUING THAT ENVIRONMENT HAS AT LEAST AS MUCH, IF NOT MORE, INFLUENCE ON CHILD DEVELOPMENT AS HEREDITY, THIS GERMAN-LANGUAGE ARTICLE REVIEWS STUDIES DISPROVING THE THEORY THAT CRIMINAL TRAITS ARE INHERITABLE.
Abstract
WITH THE DISCOVERY OF PURPORTED LINKS BETWEEN ABNORMAL CHROMOSOME COMPLEXES, SUCH AS THE PRESENCE OF AN ADDITIONAL Y CHROMOSOME, AND AGGRESSION AND CRIMINALITY, THE THESIS OF CONGENITAL CRIMINALITY WAS RESURRECTED. UNWILLING TO BEND TO THE VIEW THAT UNDESIRABLE CONDUCT CAN BE MOTIVATED BY CHANGING EXTERNAL FACTORS, THEORETICIANS ARE QUICK TO SUPPORT LINKS BETWEEN HEREDITARY FACTORS AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF CRIMINAL PERSONALITIES. HOWEVER, RESEARCH HAS PROVED THAT ENVIRONMENT IS OF PARAMOUNT IMPORTANCE IN THE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE INDIVIDUAL AND FURTHER, THAT THE LACK OF WARMTH AND CARE MAY BE RESPONSIBLE FOR INCIDENTS OF PSYCHOPATHY IN INDIVIDUALS OF OTHERWISE NORMAL, IF NOT POSITIVELY EXCEPTIONAL, HEREDITARY BACKGROUND. ONE EXAMPLE ARE THE CHILDREN REARED IN HITLER-ERA 'LESBENSBORN' HOUSES. CHILDREN OF PARENTS WHO WERE THOUGHT TO BE GENETICALLY SUPERIOR WERE ISOLATED FROM THEIR FAMILIES IN AN EFFORT TO CREATE AN EXEMPLARY BREED OF HUMANS. YET, THE EXPERIMENT YIELDED YOUNG PEOPLE NO LESS DEVIANT, AND PERHAPS MORE SO, THAN THE GENERAL POPULATION. IN CONTRAST TO THIS, ONE IS CONFRONTED WITH NORMALLY ADJUSTED, NONDEVIANT SECOND AND THIRD GENERATION DESCENDANTS OF OVERWHELMINGLY CRIME-RIDDEN FAMILIES, SUCH AS MAFIA TYPES. THESE FAMILIES HAVE PLACED GREAT EMPHASIS ON A BOURGEOIS, FAMILY-ORIENTED LIFESTYLE, AND DESPITE A GENERATION OR TWO OF CRIMINALITY, OFFSPRING ASSUME NORMAL, CRIME-FREE ROLES. STUDIES INVOLVING THE ADOPTED CHILDREN OF CRIMINAL OFFENDERS HAVE ALSO FAILED TO SUPPORT HEREDITARY LINKS BETWEEN THE MISCONDUCT OF PARENTS AND AGGRESSION AND DELINQUENCY IN THEIR CHILDREN. --IN GERMAN. (KBL)