Violent Behavior
Researchers have spent most of their time trying to understand the cause of violent behaviors and have concluded that no single path leads to violent behavior. However, several risk factors have been identified that increase chances of a person to adopt violent behaviors. The behavior of a person is as a result if combined risk factors where some can be inherited while others are as a result if negative experiences. The risk factors are believed to multiply when one is exposed to several of them whereas some protective factors have been reported to minimize chances of violent behavior. Evidently, violent behavior affects subsequent lives in various ways where some of them end up dropping out of school. Understanding the risk factors contributing to violent behavior and the effects of such behavior allow the development of prevention strategies by society and with such strategies, treatment to reduce habitual rates of crime can be assured.
Biological Factors
The brain is the first biological factor that leads to violent behavior. The brain of a psychopath is different from that of the normal human where the brain of the psychopath lack guilt, remorse and conscience. Due to these, individuals with such a brain are ready to commit a crime, and in most cases, they lack information memory of the crime conducted. The limbic system and prefrontal cortex parts of the brain plays a part in controlling violent behaviors. They are the responsible parts of the brain which regulate emotions. Any form of abnormality can interfere with the proper communication of these brain centres, and the ultimate result is a lack of control over aggressive and fearful impulses. Any injury in the front brain part increases aggression of the individual which aggravate violent behavior.
Gender is another biological risk factor associated with violent behavior. Statistics reveal that boys and young men are more vulnerable to committing most of the physical assaults. Federal Bureau of Investigation’s statistics on Crime in United States shoes that 90 per cent if all the murder cases reported in 2004 were all conducted by male and among them, 82percent of them were arrested due to violent crimes. Although men try to ensure greater control of their lives, the lack of ability to keep their impulses under control and this make them end up being violent.
There is a chemical link to criminal behavior. The biochemistry of the brain can contribute to the violent behavior where low levels of serotonin increase chances of delinquent behavior. Serotonin is a compound that is responsible for transmitting certain messages within the brain and can also transmit antisocial and criminal acts. The chemical is not only linked to criminals but also in all men. Any difference in biochemical levels together with structural and genetic variation in the normal anatomy of the brain can increase violence in men.
Social factors
An environment where one is raised determines the behavior of an individual. Although we can tend to believe that we are all born equal, this might not be the case because the behavior of a person is determined by both genetic makeup and environment. The environment shapes the behavior of an individual. The family characteristics can increase or decrease the risk of developing violent behavior. When one is in a family with poor parental supervision, the chances of developing deviant behavior is heightened. Children in large families lack close parental supervision, and the outcome is the development of violent behavior.
Harsh treatment of children at any age increases their risk of developing violent behavior. The harsh treatment makes them hardy, and the have reduced emotions which can increase the tendency of developing delinquent behavior at a later age. Male children are at increased risk compared to their female counterparts.
Peer pressure is another social cause of violent behavior. Children who relate with a peer group comprising of individuals with violent behavior are more likely to develop violent behavior. Time spent with such groups makes them learn criminal, and the peer approval of the violent behavior drive one to antisocial behaviors that can be in the form of violent actions. The people we get close to dictate the character and behavior we adopt.
The combination of certain biological and social factors increases the chances of developing violent behaviors. Although an association exists between environment and violent behavior, more association was reported in the genetics and anatomy of an individual. This is because people from good homes are largely affected and more likely to engage in deviant behavior as compared to individuals from bad homes who in most cases are poor and filled with regret. Although individuals with brains that are likely to lead to deviant behaviors can be raised in an environment where such behaviors are restricted using policies, they cannot be compared to male individuals with an affected prefrontal brain are at increased risk of developing deviant characters. The effect is heightened to those persons who have injured the brain and are raised in an environment where violent cases are common. When one has both biological factors and social factors, each of the factors aggravates the other. The interaction between these factors can have a great effect on an individual life, increasing risks to violent behavior. Combined risk factors such as traumatic childhood, negative experiences and inherited characteristics increase the tendency of one adopting deviant behavior at a later age.
“Biology is not destiny” is a true statement because biology is not the only determinant of human ethics. If biology was the destiny for most human, it could be easy to tell a baby who is likely to develop violent behavior and the one not likely to become a criminal. But because a deviant behavior is influenced by many other factors besides biological factors, we tend to believe that biology is not a destiny to any act. Violent behavior is not all the time biological as most criminologists believe. Behavior is a result of many factors either biological or environmental. A deviant person can change because the behavior is not always associated with biological factors. It can be caused by many others including the traumatized childhood that can be treated and lead to a changed life.
There is no destiny in genetic factors. Having a prefrontal dysfunction or having a low heart rate are both associated with violent behavior but it is not a guarantee that you will become a criminal offender. One cannot be judged to have developed deviant behavior out of genetic makeup regardless of whether the biological factors are evident. Most people develop violent behavior out of the social interactions, and the environment one is in; therefore, we cannot blame all the individuals with prefrontal dysfunction to be violent due to biological factors. Thus, biology is not destiny for any individual.
Despite the advance in brain imaging technology, children should not be profiled for violent tendencies. This is because technology should be used for groups and not individuals. Also, a fetus cannot be put in a brain scanner and can only be monitored since birth until adulthood. Since biology is not a destiny, the future of the child is not known, and we cannot tell what will happen to the child in future. The presence of protective factors justifies why children should not be profiled as criminals. Having a strong and supportive family, an influential school teacher or the religious leaders can have a significant impact in changing the fate of the child. With such an environment, children who were born with an increased risk of developing deviant behavior are prevented by such protective factors.
The social implication that may arise from identifying children with violent tendencies is that they are likely to develop violent behavior in future due to the belief that they cannot change. The belief that violent tendencies are linked to genetics can prevent any preventive measures from working for these children since the belief the behavior is genetic and cannot be changed. Such children can be avoided since people worry that individuals with criminal records can still participate in the future criminal activity. Most of them can lead a solitude life due to such avoidance.
The legal implication arising from identifying children with violent tendencies is that one can be liable for defamation in case the child fails to develop deviant behavior. Also, the children can participate in an illegal activity and use the tendency as a justification of the criminal activity. They can be taken as suspects in most of the criminal cases, and that can be termed as defamation if they are not proven to be criminals.