The Future of Criminology | Brian Boutwell | TEDxSaintLouisUniversity

Summary

The speaker argues that criminology has been misguided by an overemphasis on environmental factors in explaining crime, neglecting genetic influences. Citing studies on identical twins and adopted children, the talk suggests that genetics play a significant role in human traits, including criminal behavior. The speaker advocates for a biosocial approach to criminology, integrating biology and social sciences, to improve treatments and prevention strategies, leading to a more effective and humane criminal justice system.

Takeaways

• 🩸 The speaker acknowledges the need for a 'bloodletting' in the field of criminology to address deep-rooted problems.
• 🌐 The issues within criminology are not isolated but have spread to other social sciences like sociology, psychology, and economics.
• 🧬 The traditional approach to studying crime has been to focus solely on environmental factors, neglecting genetic and biological influences.
• 🔍 The speaker argues that scientists should be open to changing their views in light of new evidence, but this is not always the case.
• 🤔 The historical figure Cesare Lombroso is mentioned as someone who considered both biology and environment in understanding crime, despite being now largely discredited.
• 🧬🌿 The speaker emphasizes that both genetic factors and environment contribute to phenotypic variation, including behaviors like criminality.
• 👥 Research on identical twins raised apart and adopted children raised together provides evidence that genes play a significant role in behavior.
• 🧬 A meta-analysis of twin studies across 39 countries showed that all human traits are heritable, challenging the notion that environment is the sole predictor of behavior.
• 🔍 The speaker points out that ignoring genetic factors in social science research can lead to incorrect conclusions about cause and effect.
• 🛤️ Criminology is at a crossroads and must decide whether to continue with the status quo or embrace a bio-social approach to study crime.
• 🌟 The future of criminology lies in becoming a bio-social science, integrating fields like behavioral genetics, molecular genetics, neuroscience, and evolutionary psychology.

Q & A

What is the main issue discussed in the talk?

The main issue discussed in the talk is the outdated guiding principle in criminology that focuses solely on environmental factors when searching for the causes of crime, neglecting the role of genetics and biological factors.

What does the speaker suggest is the solution to the problem in criminology?

The speaker suggests that the solution is to integrate biology and genetics into criminology, making it a bio-social science to better understand the causes of crime.

Why does the speaker mention other social sciences?

The speaker mentions other social sciences because the problem of neglecting biological factors is not confined to criminology but has also affected sociology, psychology, and economics.

What is the significance of Cesare Lombroso's work in the context of the talk?

Cesare Lombroso's work is significant because he believed that both biology and environment mattered in understanding crime, which aligns with the speaker's argument for a bio-social approach in criminology.

What is the thought experiment the speaker asks the audience to consider?

The thought experiment is to imagine cloning two individuals and placing them in different environments to see how similar or different they are after decades, highlighting the impact of genetics versus environment.

What does the speaker find fascinating about identical twins raised apart?

The speaker finds it fascinating that identical twins raised apart are remarkably similar in intellect, personality, and even small idiosyncrasies, suggesting a strong genetic influence.

Why does the speaker's personal experience with adoption resonate with the research on adopted children?

The speaker's personal experience resonates because he and his adopted brother were raised in the same environment but had significant differences in personality, intellect, and interests, illustrating the impact of genetics.

What was the groundbreaking finding of the meta-analysis published in Nature Genetics?

The meta-analysis found that all human traits are heritable, with no trait having a weighted heritability estimate of zero, indicating that genetics plays a role in all human characteristics.

What is the potential consequence of ignoring genetic factors in social science research?

Ignoring genetic factors can lead to incorrect conclusions about cause and effect, making research findings unreliable and potentially leading to a confounded understanding of human behavior.

Why is it crucial for criminology to embrace a bio-social approach according to the speaker?

Embracing a bio-social approach is crucial because it allows criminology to adapt to the changing scientific landscape, improve treatments, prevention efforts, and rehabilitation strategies, leading to a more humane criminal justice system.

What challenges does the speaker foresee for biosocial criminology?

The speaker foresees that biosocial criminology will encounter pitfalls and challenges, such as needing to course-correct and navigate potential objections, but believes that these are part of the scientific process and that the direction is correct.