Discussion About What Adrian Raine Thinks About Murderers (Essay Sample)

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How-To-Spot-A-Murderers-Brain
How-To-Spot-A-Murderers-Brain
Adrian Raine, a university don, and a neuroscientist argue that criminology is based on human biology. He says that crime is caused by biological factors, more specifically, a defect in the brain. This means that murderers have a gap in their brains hence they cannot make ethical decisions for themselves. They also experience low intelligence quotient as compared to normal people. Therefore, they are vulnerable to criminal activities. The author goes ahead to show that this defect can be determined through brain scanning. He shows that violence is caused by the genetic composition rather than environmental and social factors. For this reason, he suggests that we are captives of our genes. These genes are inherited from our parents. Hence they greatly influence our thinking, making us unable to think freely on our own. The parents` traits tend to be predominant to the child. That is to say, if the parent was a criminal then most likely the child will also be one (Adams, 2013).
The author conducted a research on jailed murderers in California. He did brain imaging on a sample he selected. This sample comprised of people of the same age bracket. This was achieved through positron emission tomography involving 41 individuals; a sample of convicted murderers and normal people as a control group. The results showed that the brain metabolism of these two groups was different. The brains of convicted murderers had an underdeveloped cortex while for the normal group was well developed. More research revealed that such an underdevelopment contributes to violent behaviors. These behaviors include lack of self-control, aggressiveness, and anger. All these traits render a person to be prone to criminal acts. This study supports Raine`s arguments. It proves that indeed a human biology has a hand in a crime. This is because a deficit brain is more prone to criminal offenses than a normal brain. It is evident from the sample research conducted on the two groups of people. Moreover, another research supported similar arguments as it indicated that truly defective brain is a reason for violence. The study was conducted by Franz Gall.
This article provides insight into psychology. It explains the need to understand human brain with emphasis on the mental health. The author authoritatively states that it is important to check on an individual`s brain development to establish his mental status. This helps to put the right people on probation when a deficit in the brain is discovered. Such a timely and bold step will help in scaling down criminal acts to manageable levels. Even though there is need to also look into other factors causing crime, this text supports the author’s argument. It has been shown that people with underdeveloped brains are exposed to violence than normal people. Therefore, a murderer has a delicate mental health that requires proper attention. It is necessary to ensure that such a person is put in a confined place to promote good moral behavior. This helps to promote humanity rather than violence.
The spirit of humanity is supreme. I believe that an individual behavior is based on his brain functionality. Biological factors should be considered when handling murderers. This is why I have seen the determination of mental health important in a criminal offense before a jury. The prosecutors ensured that the suspect brought before them is of good mental health before pressing charges. It is necessary to know whether suspected persons have defects in their brains or not. The author also lays emphasis on this. He believes that murderers have abnormal loops in their brains. Ne...