Biosocial Factors Behind Violent Crime in Disadvantaged Areas

Abstract

Module 2 Discussion: Biosocial Theories Chapter 6 and 7 How would biosocial theories explain the high levels of violent crime in lower-class areas? Biosocial theories assume that biological factors just like the environmental and social factors play a significant role in fostering development of a criminal behaviour. These are theories that encompass various perspectives while explaining the correlation between individual’s behaviour and genes, neurobiology and evolution among other factors that shapes a human behaviour. While analysing high level of violent crimes in lower-class areas from the biosocial criminology point of view, one can conclude that early health risks, genetics, hormones and neurotransmitters have adverse effects on crime rates within lower class areas. For instance nicotine or alcohol exposures before birth in combination with environmental factors like the child’s developmental environment can foster the likelihood of such a child to turn to criminal behaviour. Such a child develops finding merits in drugs as the parent might continue using them even after birth shaping the criminal being of such a child and many more within such environments. Family structure breakdown is an influential trigger to criminal behaviour as the victims try to adjust within a certain environment that can have significant stressors that enhance likelihood of engaging in crime. The biological constituents of human development defines hormones that regulates a human behaviour thus with exposures to stressful environments attributed to family breakups, the victims might end up engaging in remedial options directed by their hormones with crime acts offering the most viable options.