ABSTRACT
Biological influences on violence and crime have, however, again become an important area of research as part of the growth of interest, during the past three decades, in genetic, hormonal, and neuroanatomical influences on human personality and behavior. In the field of behavior genetics, recombinant DNA research has identified a number of genes involved in specific physical and mental diseases and in traits of personality. A growing number of genetic researchers are hell-bent on finding a biological basis for criminal behavior. Political opposition to research on the genetics of crime, skillfully managed, had won the battle. Moreover, criminal conduct “is not only socially elicited, but socially constructed: defined by legislatures and courts, and detected by arrests, convictions, and self-reports.” Success in stopping the genetics and violence conference, Peter Breggin added, “must not distract from the larger need to stop the violence initiative.”.
