ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces debates critical of the new biosocial criminology which is itself presented as an ‘integrated’ and ‘modern’ approach which attempts to synthesize the sciences of life, of the psyche and of the social. In the eyes of its proponents, this biosocial approach is revolutionizing criminology; it is a total paradigm shift rather arrogantly assumed to be unavoidable, while the social sciences in general are blamed for impeding the speed and magnitude of the revolution by discounting the bios for ideological reasons. Biocritical criminologists are nevertheless concerned that all actions of human beings from the baseness of their crimes to the heights of their altruism can be reduced ultimately to genetics. Social constructionists are concerned about scientific views which assume that humanity can be encapsulated and ‘totalized’ and which it is argued has done severe damage to the lives of people. Thus, a whole body of research has linked aspects of the environment inhabited by the child – such as the quality of parenting and marital conflict – to the development of antisocial behaviour. Adverse childhood experiences are being problematically used as a predictive model to forecast outcomes of abused and harmed children.
