Biosocial criminology and modern crime prevention

Objective: In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, criminological efforts to prevent or reduce crime were centered on addressing presumed biological causes of crime. Most of these strategies involved calls for eugenics—proposals that today are considered unethical and morally reprehensible. Biolo...

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Published in:Journal of Criminal Justice Vol. 40; no. 4; pp. 306 - 313
Main Authors: Rocque, Michael, Welsh, Brandon C., Raine, Adrian
Format: Article
Published: Elsevier B.V. Jul/Aug2012
Subjects:
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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      jtl: Journal of Criminal Justice
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      dt: Jul/Aug2012
      vid: 40
      iid: 4
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      pub: Elsevier B.V.
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        77446716
        10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2012.05.003
      ppf: 306
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      tig:
        atl: Biosocial criminology and modern crime prevention
      aug:
        au:
          Rocque, Michael
          Welsh, Brandon C.
          Raine, Adrian
        affil:
          School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
          Department of Sociology, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469, USA
          Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 1008 BH
          Department of Criminology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
          Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
          Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
      su:
        Criminology
        Biosocial theory
        Criminal sociology
        Crime prevention -- Social aspects
        Sociocultural factors
        Law & biology
      sug:
        subj:
          Criminology
          Biosocial theory
          Criminal sociology
          Crime prevention -- Social aspects
          Sociocultural factors
          Law & biology
      ab: Objective: In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, criminological efforts to prevent or reduce crime were centered on addressing presumed biological causes of crime. Most of these strategies involved calls for eugenics—proposals that today are considered unethical and morally reprehensible. Biologically-oriented criminology and crime control policies have re-emerged with new sophistication and attention to the importance of social context. Additionally, developmental crime prevention, with a special focus on biological/physiological risk factors in the early life course, has become influential in criminology. This paper examines the relevance of biology to modern day crime prevention. Materials and methods: Narrative review of the theoretical and empirical literature of biology and developmental crime prevention. Results: There are a growing number of developmental crime prevention programs that address biological risk factors for delinquency and later criminal offending. These programs are found in the family, school, and community domains. Evidence suggests that these programs can reduce crime. Conclusions: While “biological crime prevention” as a separate field has not yet emerged, findings show that crime prevention programs can and do address biology in a sociologically sensitive manner—and these programs have shown significant impacts on crime.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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