An alternate biological theory of crime is genetics. Family studies have shown that there was a 7% increase rate in criminal sons if their fathers had criminal records compared to sons with criminal records and non-criminal fathers; thus suggesting that we are influenced by our parents behaviour and social surroundings.
Adoption studies also have proved that genetics has an influence. Shown in a study: the amount people whose biological parents and adoptive parents had a criminal record was 24.5%, the highest figure in the study. If biological parents did have a criminal record but the adoptive parents didn’t, the figure was second highest at 20% of people.
To support this further, twin studies have shown a 44% concordance rate in monozygotic twins, as oppose to a 22% concordance rate in dygozygotic twins. However if crime was purely as a result of genetic the concordance rate in identical twins would be 100%.
The genetics theory does have many flaws; it would be morally wrong to discourage reproduction in people who have genes associated with criminal behaviour. As well as this informing people they carry genes associated with criminal behaviour would lead to labelling people and self-fulfilling prophecy.
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