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The etiology of criminal onset: The enduring salience of nature and nurture

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  • DeLisi, Matt
  • Beaver, Kevin M.
  • Wright, John Paul
  • Vaughn, Michael G.

Abstract

Based on data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), the current study was the first to use measures of genetic polymorphisms (DRD2 and DRD4) to empirically examine the onset of crime. Net of the effects of race, age, gender, and low self-control, genetic polymorphisms explained variation in police contacts and arrest, but only among youths in low risk family environments. Moreover, youths with genetic risk factors experienced a later onset than youths without these risk factors. Borrowing from the behavioral and molecular genetics literatures, various interpretations of the findings are discussed as well as a call for increasingly interdisciplinary perspectives in criminology that encompass both sociological and biosocial frameworks.

Suggested Citation

  • DeLisi, Matt & Beaver, Kevin M. & Wright, John Paul & Vaughn, Michael G., 2008. "The etiology of criminal onset: The enduring salience of nature and nurture," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 36(3), pages 217-223, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jcjust:v:36:y:2008:i:3:p:217-223
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Eggleston, Elaine P. & Laub, John H., 2002. "The onset of adult offending: A neglected dimension of the criminal career," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 30(6), pages 603-622.
    2. DeLisi, Matt, 2006. "Zeroing in on early arrest onset: Results from a population of extreme career criminals," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 34(1), pages 17-26.
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    1. Brian B. Boutwell & Eric J. Connolly, 2017. "On the Heritability of Criminal Justice Processing," SAGE Open, , vol. 7(3), pages 21582440177, July.
    2. Vaughn, Michael G. & DeLisi, Matt & Gunter, Tracy & Fu, Qiang & Beaver, Kevin M. & Perron, Brian E. & Howard, Matthew O., 2011. "The Severe 5%: A Latent Class Analysis of the Externalizing Behavior Spectrum in the United States," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 39(1), pages 75-80.
    3. Boisvert, Danielle & Boutwell, Brian B. & Barnes, J.C. & Vaske, Jamie, 2013. "Genetic and environmental influences underlying the relationship between low self-control and substance use," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 41(4), pages 262-272.
    4. DeLisi, Matt & Neppl, Tricia K. & Lohman, Brenda J. & Vaughn, Michael G. & Shook, Jeffrey J., 2013. "Early starters: Which type of criminal onset matters most for delinquent careers?," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 41(1), pages 12-17.
    5. Behnken, Monic P. & Caudill, Jonathan W. & Berg, Mark T. & Trulson, Chad R. & DeLisi, Matt, 2011. "Marked for Death: An Empirical Criminal Careers Analysis of Death Sentences in a Sample of Convicted Male Homicide Offenders," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 39(6), pages 471-478.
    6. Wu, Tong & Barnes, J.C., 2013. "Two dopamine receptor genes (DRD2 and DRD4) predict psychopathic personality traits in a sample of American adults," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 41(3), pages 188-195.
    7. Mancini, Christina & Reckdenwald, Amy & Beauregard, Eric & Levenson, Jill S., 2014. "Sex industry exposure over the life course on the onset and frequency of sex offending," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 42(6), pages 507-516.
    8. Schwartz, Joseph A. & Beaver, Kevin M., 2011. "Evidence of a gene × environment interaction between perceived prejudice and MAOA genotype in the prediction of criminal arrests," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 39(5), pages 378-384.
    9. Rocque, Michael & Welsh, Brandon C. & Raine, Adrian, 2012. "Biosocial criminology and modern crime prevention," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 40(4), pages 306-312.
    10. DeLisi, Matt & Piquero, Alex R., 2011. "New frontiers in criminal careers research, 2000-2011: A state-of-the-art review," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 39(4), pages 289-301, July.
    11. Venables, Noah C. & Foell, Jens & Yancey, James R. & Beaver, Kevin M. & Iacono, William G. & Patrick, Christopher J., 2018. "Integrating criminological and mental health perspectives on low self-control: A multi-domain analysis," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 2-10.
    12. Fox, Bryanna, 2017. "It's nature and nurture: Integrating biology and genetics into the social learning theory of criminal behavior," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 22-31.

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