Is the birth of a criminal genetic, environmental, or both?

This blog post examines whether the birth of a criminal stems from genetic factors, environmental influences, or a complex interplay of both, drawing on various studies and case examples.

 

Everyone eventually faces death. But some are killed. Murder cases in the news are a compelling subject for viewers. Even if it’s about someone completely unrelated to us, or an incident occurring in a region entirely foreign to us, the story of someone being murdered—in the same space as us, South Korea, or more broadly, on this planet—makes us pause in our tracks and listen. Moreover, if we perceive even the slightest connection to ourselves, our concern and anxiety amplify significantly.
In one corner of the world, new life is born every day. Conversely, in another corner, life is extinguished. While there can be many reasons for a person’s death, the most heartbreaking and infuriating is death by murder.
So, let’s think about this. It’s difficult to personally feel every single incident happening around the world, but what if we look at the situation right here in South Korea, where we live? How many people are murdered in South Korea each day? According to statistics, approximately 1,100 homicide cases occur annually on average. Dividing this by 365 days reveals an average of about 3 cases per day – meaning 3 people lose their lives to murder every single day. Three out of a population of about 50 million might not seem like much, but if you consider that one of those three could be you, how terrifying does that reality feel?
When we hear about a murder case through the news, we are overcome with various thoughts. The most common reactions are, first, sympathy for the victim, and second, anger towards the perpetrator.
Now, consider a single murder case. Once we know who killed and who was killed, we arrive at the most crucial question: “Why?” Why was that person killed? It could have been a spontaneous killing stemming from conflict or a quarrel, or it could have been a premeditated murder driven by revenge. Sometimes the reasons vary widely, like indiscriminate killings of unrelated people or serial murders. Ordinary people like us feel fear and anger toward such incidents. And we tend to focus more on what punishment the murderer should receive than on the details of their situation.
However, there are also those who focus on the killer’s inner world, circumstances, and the background of the crime. Their research marked the beginning of neurocriminology, and they discovered astonishing facts. We have generally believed that the causes of a person becoming a murderer stem from social and environmental factors. Therefore, the treatment and prevention of criminals have primarily approached these social and environmental aspects. But neurocriminology fundamentally shakes this existing paradigm.
Adrian Raine, a world-renowned authority in neurocriminology and author of the book Anatomy of Violence, describes this field thus: “Some people are born criminals!” This provocative and shocking statement caused a huge ripple effect, like a stone thrown into calm waters.
The claim that criminals are predetermined at birth was actually discussed in detail as early as the 1870s, but it did not gain traction at the time. However, with advances in science and technology and the emergence of new research techniques, attempts to find the causes of violence from a new perspective are resurfacing.
For example, Jeffrey Landrigan of the United States was abandoned at an orphanage at the age of eight months in 1962. Fortunately, he was adopted into a loving family with a geologist father and a mother overflowing with affection, receiving a good education and strict upbringing, giving him a fresh start. Despite this, Landrigan became immersed in alcohol and drugs from his teenage years, frequently committing theft, and ultimately murdered a friend at age 20. After escaping prison, he committed another murder and was sentenced to death. While incarcerated, Landrigan learned of a man who looked exactly like him—a murderer named Darren Hill—who was, astonishingly, his biological father. Furthermore, it was revealed that Landrigan’s grandfather had also been a criminal.
Darren Hill stated: “Even if you’re not a genius, if crime repeats itself over three generations, you’d know there’s something connected. There’s a pattern.”
Hearing this makes one wonder if something like a “murderer’s gene” might exist. It’s entirely plausible to question whether what turns people into criminals is linked not only to social and environmental factors, but also to biological genes.
We’ve generally been taught to believe that people are born with their own reasons for living, that we are beings who seek meaning and purpose in life. But what if someone told you, “You were born with the killer gene”? How shocking would that be? Or what if you discovered your brain scan resembled that of a murderer? What thoughts would cross your mind?
Neurocriminology does not predict or guarantee that “because you have the murderer’s genes, you will commit murder.” It merely warns that individuals possessing antisocial or abnormal genes or brain structures, when combined with adverse social and environmental factors, may be more prone to antisocial behavior than the average person.
In fact, neurocriminologists have substantiated this through various statistical data. For instance, when the prefrontal cortex is less active than normal, leading to dysfunction, individuals struggle to control instinctive emotions like anger. They become more prone to high-risk behavior, exhibit lower responsibility, and are more likely to engage in rule-breaking actions. This results in multifaceted impacts across emotional, behavioral, personality, social, and cognitive levels. This does not mean brain imaging techniques alone can instantly distinguish who is normal and who is a murderer. Furthermore, it is natural that even normal people can occasionally exhibit antisocial violence. However, we can gather sufficient evidence regarding which brain functions, when dysfunctional, increase violence.
The emergence of neurocriminology can significantly impact our society. While it might be thought that punishment and incarceration in prison mark the end for a criminal, this new discipline enables a deeper approach to understanding the occurrence and causes of crime. Ultimately, the goal of this approach is to find answers to the question: “How can we prevent crime in the future?” With the advancement of neurocriminology, while past efforts focused primarily on improving social and environmental factors for the treatment and prevention of criminals, we must now also consider biological factors. This also suggests that current solutions are not significantly contributing to crime prevention and reducing recidivism.
In the future, advances in neurocriminology will enable the preemptive identification of dangerous individuals with a high probability of antisocial behavior through brain imaging, genetic analysis, and physical examinations. If such testing were mandated at the national level, it would allow for the early identification of potential criminals with a high likelihood of committing offenses. For example, individuals with issues in the prefrontal cortex may not outwardly show signs of this problem. If they are aware of their potential to lose control and act cautiously through treatment and prevention, crime rates could be reduced.
Neurocriminology argues that biological factors alone do not determine who becomes a criminal; rather, individuals with biological vulnerabilities are more likely to become criminals when they encounter adverse environmental factors. Therefore, while biological factors—whether innate or acquired—cannot be controlled by the individual or their parents, environmental factors can be addressed differently. If parents recognize their child’s biological deficits and focus on nurturing and treatment, the likelihood of that child becoming a criminal will certainly decrease.
However, applying this development in neurocriminology to society requires several considerations. In particular, if potential criminals are pre-screened, societal stigma would emerge as the primary issue. Individuals with brain or genetic abnormalities have a higher probability of antisocial behavior, but they are people who have not yet committed crimes. Labeling them as potential criminals could create social distance and foster distrust among the general public. Furthermore, individuals notified of their potential criminality might reject the label due to the stigma effect, potentially leading them to engage in even more opposing behaviors. This social issue could be particularly sensitive for young children and adolescents.
The human rights and privacy concerns of potential offenders are also critical considerations. We must discuss whether the state can infringe upon the rights of these individuals for the sake of public safety. How should we resolve the dilemma posed by the movie ‘Minority Report’: “You shouldn’t punish someone who hasn’t broken the law. But you must prevent those who might break it. Yet, the moment you prevent it, the crime doesn’t exist”?
The brain science underpinning neurocriminology is already being utilized in actual trials. Brain imaging results can influence sentencing. But consider this: if someone commits a crime while possessing a genetic predisposition or brain defect that could trigger antisocial behavior, should their guilt be assessed differently than in ordinary cases? Is the argument, “It’s not my fault, it’s the genes—what could I have done?” truly justified?
The new direction neurocriminology proposes certainly offers hope for a world with less violence. However, applying this to society requires much more discussion. We must pay attention to how neurocriminology can be utilized for crime prevention and punishment while overcoming its various limitations.

 

About the author

Writer

I'm a "Cat Detective" I help reunite lost cats with their families.
I recharge over a cup of café latte, enjoy walking and traveling, and expand my thoughts through writing. By observing the world closely and following my intellectual curiosity as a blog writer, I hope my words can offer help and comfort to others.