Nurture vs. Crime
Many criminal activities are caused by either
nature nor nurture. In contemporary century,
psychologists and criminologists are more
focusing on how nurture effects on criminal
behaviors. Changing the nurture would be a
better way to prevent people from committing
crimes.
Society
Environment
Parenting Style
Nature:
• the phenomena of the physical world such as
plants, animals or other features on the earth.
It also could be the inherent feature of
humanity
Nurture:
• The process of care for or encourage for
someone or something’s growth or
development. In contemporary century
Crime
• An action or activity that, although not illegal,
is considered to be evil, shameful, or wrong
Michael Rocques, Brandon C. Welsh, Adrian Raine9 (July-August 2012) Biosocial criminology and modern crime prevention, Journal of Criminal Justice, Volume 40, Issue 4., Pages 306-312
Retrieved from: http://www.sciencedirect.com.proxy.library.vcu.edu/science/article/pii/S0047235212000736
Jill Portnoy, Frances R. Chen, Adrian Raine. (September- October 2013
Biological protective factors for antisocial and criminal behavior, Journal of Criminal Justice, Volume 41, Issue 45, Pages 292-299 Retrieved from
http://www.sciencedirect.com.proxy.library.vcu.edu/science/article/pii/S0047235213000573?np=y
Bandura, Ross, & Ross (1961), Classics in the History of Psychology, Retrieved from: http://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Bandura/bobo.htm
Lindsay Beller (August 2011) The Making and Unmaking of a Criminal (The magazine for alumni and friends of the Chicago school of professional psychology), Retrieved from:
http://insight.thechicagoschool.edu/2011/headline/the-making-and-unmaking-of-a-criminal/
Andrew, S. (2014, March 17). The Reckoning, The father of the Sandy Hook killer searches for answers. The New Yorker, Retrieved from: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/03/17/thereckoning
VCU (3.23.15), UVA and Swedish researchers discover that childhood environment strongly influences the development of cognitive ability (VCU News)
https://news.vcu.edu/article/VCU_UVA_and_Swedish_researchers_discover_that_childhood_environment
Reason 1:
Children would tend to copy and learn from adult’s
action.
Evidence:
The “bobo doll experiment” is the classic psychology
experiment, which study whether a kid would mimic
adult’s action or not. The result shows that parenting
style could be an early risk factor of criminal behavior
and it tend to accumulate and escalate since childhood
to adulthood. Boy is even more aggressive than girl
because they’ve been taught in different way.
Reason 2:
Although IQ would be a risk that cause criminal activity, it
can be changed in different environment.
Evidence:
The scientist found that identical twins or siblings have
similar IQs and their IQs can be changed by different
parenting environment. Research shows that a member
from a pair of sibling who was raised in an adopted family
with a high level of education has higher IQ than the
other member who was raised in biological family with
lower education.
Reason3: Society or cultural could be a reason
that cause people become a criminal.
Evidence3: Sandy Hook shooting case. In this
case, murder’s parents did try to care about
their kid, and they did everything they could do
as a parent. But it didn’t work. What if the
United State make gun illegal, it probably won’t
happen. So it’s really a cultural thing and how
the society is.
Objection1: Eugenics can be a nature way that
prevent criminal activity.
Rebuttal1: Eugenics is against the nature. It fell
into disfavor after Nazis misunderstanding the
meaning of it. Hitler attempted to have a
uniform race in order to take control of the
world. He could be consider as a crime.
Objection 2: “Research indicates that genetics is
responsible for about 50 percent of criminal
behavior and that environment accounts for the
rest.”
Rebuttal2:The research shows criminal’s brain is
different from normal people. Brain is something
come naturally, it can’t not be easily changed. And
also, not everyone who has a “criminal brain”
would become a criminal in the future, if the
environment won’t inspire this risk factor in his or
her brain, he won’t become a criminal.
Objection3: Nurture also can be hard to change
Rebuttal: As a school… education (still need
source and organize the words)