Biosocial criminology
Definition
An approach that treats biological and social factors as mutually constitutive rather than alternative explanations for crime. It holds that genetic or neurological risks do not cause crime independently; they increase vulnerability to environmental triggers and reduce resilience to adverse social conditions.
Related terms
- Atavism
- Lombroso's concept that born criminals were evolutionary throwbacks to a more primitive human type, identifiable by physical stigmata. The concept is scientifically...
- Concordance rate
- In twin studies, the proportion of twin pairs in which both twins share a given trait or behaviour. Higher concordance in monozygotic...
- Gene-environment interaction (GxE)
- The phenomenon where a genetic predisposition is expressed differently depending on environmental context. A classic example is the MAOA-low variant, which correlates...
- Heritability
- The proportion of variation in a trait within a population that is attributable to genetic differences between individuals. A heritability estimate applies...
- Prefrontal cortex (PFC)
- The frontal brain region responsible for impulse control, planning, and decision-making. Reduced grey matter volume and lower activation in the PFC have...
Explained in
- Biological and Biosocial Theories of CrimeAn approach that treats biological and social factors as mutually constitutive rather than alternative explanations for crime. It holds that genetic or neurolo...