It is important to note that there are many other activities that can help to curb some of the underlying causes of criminal behavior in our society. Genetic screening doesn’t need to be the final solution and isn’t necessarily the best. There are more methods of prevention that are not as morally clouded and much easier to realistically enact. There are two major types of biological risks identified as effecting the propensity for criminal behavior that are not necessarily associated with genetics, namely health related factors and prenatal care. Anything that can be done to reduce these risks can be seen to combat the appearance of criminal behavior in the future of a developing child.

One of the most fundamental factors having an effect on a child is prenatal health of the mother/fetus and medical care during childhood. The use of illicit drugs of the mother during pregnancy such as cocaine, crack, and methamphetamine has been shown to have a detrimental effect on the neurological and physical development of a fetus. It only makes sense that if an individual is to follow the moral and societal guidelines for behavior they need to have the mental capacity to do so. In addition, proper nutrition during pregnancy and early childhood is also important to insure the facilitation of healthy neurological development.

Any factors that cause congenital abnormalities and bodily diseases should be eliminated to ensure proper childhood development and thus reduce the chance of neurological disorders. This in turn ensures that the occurrence of violent criminals that commit crimes because of neurological disorders decreases. The elimination of anything that interferes with the basic physiological and biochemical processes that support activity of the brain is important to the development of individuals with a reduced propensity for violence and an increased ability for social conformity. Increased medical care can help to eliminate disease or injury as a proponent of criminal behavior.

Clearly, there are a multitude of factors that contribute to a propensity to engage in deviant or criminal behavior.  The interrelationships among genetic, biological, and sociological aspects in developmental processes of behavior are very complex and at present are only understood on a basic level.  The possibility of a genetic marker being found that is an accurate predictor of criminal behavior is very unlikely.  Behavioral development is not as deterministic as a faulty protein causing a physiological disorder.  Unfortunately, the legal aspects of this issue are not as clear nor as extensive as they should be.  The evidence presented here suggests to the authors of this web site that any attempt to screen infants for criminal behavior is wrong.

References Consulted and Additional Links

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