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Lita Lita
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9 years ago
Discuss the evolution of criminological theories that are based upon biological causes for deviant behavior.  Identify and explain the core concepts of at least three different biological theories for deviance.  Evaluate whether any of the biological theories provide an accurate explanation for an individual’s decision to participate in deviant behavior.
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9 years ago
1. Discuss why the aircraft security for Israel’s El Al has always had such great success in protecting their flights and passengers, and how does this contrast with other major airlines both in Europe and North America. 200 word min w/Use at least one Internet source.
The national airline of Israel, El Al Airlines is reputed to have the safest security in the world attributing part of their success to keeping their security techniques a secret. It employs a multi-layered approach to airline security, as no single method or technology can effectively stop would-be terrorists from hijacking or planting a bomb on an airplane. The secret to El Al’s success at deterring terrorism isn’t so much expensive technology as much as it is his people. El Al’s security workforce is of the highest quality, extremely well-trained and typically fluent in multiple languages. El Al spends a substantial amount of money to train its agents – more than its American counterparts.
The main difference between the two countries - Israeli security openly employs profiling; singling out passengers for stricter screening based on their appearance or ethnic group, a practice that is banned in the U.S. El Al has developed a profile of the typical terrorist threat to their airline that consists of all the possible suspicious signs.  All passengers are thoroughly interviewed by well-trained security staff, which question or grill, with extremely personal questions – every single passenger to determine if there is anything that arouses suspicion. The statements made by passengers are then confirmed by making long distance phone calls. The luggage of the passengers is also carefully scrutinized. Also, the security agent will examine the visas to see what countries you have recently visited. Past trips to countries such as Syria and Iran, which are self-proclaimed enemies of Israel, may mean you will be treated with extra special care.

2. Discuss the threat to the Homeland from biological warfare and how prepared do you consider the U.S. is to handle such an attack. 200 word min w/ Use at least one Internet source.
"Bioterrorism is a real threat to our country. It's a threat to every nation that loves freedom. Terrorist groups seek biological weapons; we know some rogue states already have them....It's important that we confront these real threats to our country and prepare for future emergencies” (Bush, 2002).
Biological warfare is the use of infectious agents or toxins such as bacteria, smallpox or viruses with the purpose to kill or harm living beings as an act of war. These are the self replicating agents that reproduce within the victims. Smallpox and anthrax, both are bacteria’s that can spread through the air in a powder and cause rapid, deadly diseases. Smallpox could be even more lethal because it's easily transmitted from one person to another.
The U.S is much more prepared than ever to handle the biological, chemical, nuclear and radiological threats. The United States has expanded international efforts to keep dangerous biological materials out of the hands of attackers. The U.S homeland security department continues to work at the science and technology level to develop effective detection mechanisms for the threats. Homeland Security also runs the Biowatch system, which has deployed detectors in more than 30 U.S. cities to test collected air samples for the presence of biological warfare materials such as anthrax and smallpox. The Centre for Disease Control has enough stockpiles of smallpox vaccines to medicate 12-15 million people and has contracted for 40 million more doses.
3. The early foundations of criminological theories based upon biological explanations can be traced back to the early 1800s when the concept of phrenology was introduced. More recent biological explanations for deviant behaviour have posited that genetics are a driving force. Discuss the evolution of criminological theories that are based upon biological causes for deviant behaviour. Identify and explain the core concepts of at least three different biological theories for deviance. Evaluate whether any of the biological theories provide an accurate explanation for an individual’s decision to participate in deviant behaviour. 500 words min, A minimum of two scholarly resources is required to support your response.
The idea that crime is caused by biological defects in the criminal was not new when advanced by Lombroso, but it received its most absolute statement in the work of the Italian school. The most influential attack on Lombroso's work was conducted by British criminologist Charles Buckman Goring, who recorded the facial and other measurements of several thousand criminals and non criminals. In his book The English Convict (1913), Goring concluded that Lombroso's findings had no adequate scientific support and that statistical evidence disproved the existence of a biological criminal type. Although most investigators found Goring's work persuasive, research continued into the possible relevance of inherited deficiencies.
During the first half of the 20th century, as the social sciences developed, biological theories of crime causation became less popular. However, with the passage of time and the development of sophisticated technologies in the field of biological sciences, biological theories of criminal behaviour have reappeared.
The new theories are more sophisticated than those of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Current theories rely on specific features of genes or the brain, rather than appearance, as physical indicators of a propensity toward crime. They are less deterministic than earlier biological theories, meaning that they recognize the substantial influence of social factors in addition to or in interaction with biologically caused predispositions to crime.
Biological Theories
1. Genetic Factors: This theory emphasizes on the traits transmitted from parents to their children. Studies of the interrelationship between the criminal tendencies of parents and children has revealed that children, whose parents are involved in crime, are more likely to get involved in criminal activities than children whose parents were law abiding. This finding is unsurprising due to a number of sociological factors that influence the children.
2. Neurological abnormalities:  The second major type of biological theory of criminality emphasizes the role of neurological factors. Neurological abnormalities are the abnormalities in brain functioning that reduce self-consciousness toward aggression and violence. Another type of dysfunction that may be related to hostility is chemical imbalances in the brain. Human thoughts, behaviour, and emotions depend upon the transmission of electrical impulses within the central nervous system. The gaps between cells in the nervous system are called synapses and the chemicals that enable the flow of electrical impulses across the synapses are called neurotransmitters. Scientists believe that abnormally low levels of neurotransmitters interrupt the flow of electronic impulses, thereby short-circuiting emotions such as sympathy or empathy that can inhibit aggressive behaviour. (James, 2000)
3. Lombroso's Theory: It suggested that the criminals are distinguished from non criminals by various physical differences. He postulated that bodily constitution indicates whether a person is born criminal. He believed that external physical appearance of the individuals demonstrated that criminals were biologically inferior to the law abiders. Bearded women and un-bearded men were looked upon with suspicion. Unusual physical traits were thought to be related to strange behaviour such as tattoos on the body, shifty eyes, weak chins or arrogant noses were also thought to be suspect.
All the above mentioned theories gave explanations based on research and studies. But none of the theory provides the accurate explanation of why an individual gets involved into criminal activities. Reasons for getting involved into such deeds can be any of genetic, psychological or some other factors.
4. Many psychologically based criminology theories suggest that the reasons behind an individual’s decision to participate in deviant behaviour can be traced to childhood events and/or mental disorders. Evaluate the various psychological explanations that serve as a basis for criminological theories. Compare and contrast each psychological theory by identifying their unique, as well as common characteristics. Evaluate whether any of the psychological theories provide an accurate explanation for an individual’s decision to participate in deviant behaviour. 500 words min, A minimum of two scholarly resources is required to support your response.
Psychologists explain criminal behaviour as the result of individual factors, such as negative early childhood experiences, and inadequate socialization, which results in criminal thinking patterns and/or incomplete cognitive development, makes the individuals psychological criminologists. There are several fundamental assumptions that all psychological theories on deviance have in common. First, the individual is the primary unit of examination in psychological theories of deviance. That is, individual human beings are only responsible for their criminal or deviant acts. Second, an individual’s personality is the major motivational element that develops behaviour within individuals. Third, criminals and deviants are seen as suffering from personality deficiencies. Thus, crimes result from abnormal, dysfunctional, or inappropriate mental processes within the personality of the individual. Finally, these defective or abnormal mental processes could be caused from a variety of things, including a diseased mind, inappropriate learning, improper conditioning, and the absence of appropriate role models or the strong presence of inappropriate role models.
Sigmund Freud's psychosexual theory and Erik Erikson's psychosocial theory are two well-known theories of development. While he was influenced by Freud's ideas, Erikson's theory differed in a number of important ways. Like Freud, Erikson believed that personality develops in a sequence of predetermined stages. Unlike Freud’s theory of psychosexual stages, Erikson’s theory describes the impact of social experience across the whole lifespan. Comparison between above mentioned theories is given below:
1. One of the main essential elements of Erikson's psychosocial stage theory is the development of ego identity. According to Erikson, our ego identity constantly changes due to new experiences and information we acquire in our daily interactions with others. Here, identity includes beliefs, values and ideals that help to shape and guide a person’s behaviour. On the other hand, Freud believed that childhood experiences and unconscious desires influenced behaviour.
2. Freud's largely deterministic approach to personality theory was shaped by a perspective of rationalistic materialism which viewed the individual as a complex system of energies and forces that reflect somatic and social influences. Whereas Erikson’s psychosocial approach to personality theory stresses the co-determination of human development and behaviour by somatic, mental and social processes which correspond to ego.
3. Both Erikson and Freud believed that the conflicts which occur during each of the development stages of the individual can have a lifelong influence on his personality and behaviour.
4. According to Erikson, during initial stages of development, Child learns to trust or mistrust their caregivers. Whereas according to Freud, A child's primary source of pleasure is through the mouth, via sucking, eating and tasting.
Both the above theories give the clear picture of why an individual participate in a deviant behaviour.  The improperly socialized child may develop a personality disturbance that causes her or him to direct antisocial impulses inward or outward. The child who directs them outward becomes a criminal, and the child that directs them inward becomes a neurotic
References:
1. “Biodefense for the 21st century” by President George W. Bush June 12, 2002 retrieved from https://www.fas.org/irp/offdocs/nspd/hspd-10.html
2. “Criminology” by James P. Lynch, 2000 retrieved from http://autocww2.colorado.edu/~toldy3/E64ContentFiles/LawAndCourts/Criminology.html
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