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The Biosocial Perspective: A Brief Overview and Potential Contributions to Criminological Theory

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Handbook on Crime and Deviance

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Abstract

Over the past century or so, biology has fallen in and out of favor among criminologists. The development of efficient and cost-effective neuro- and genetic imaging techniques, the availability of data containing biological measures, and the increasing motivation for truly interdisciplinary research has sparked a biological resurgence of sorts, in which researchers are devoting equal attention to both biological and social influences on behavior. Integrative efforts aimed at nesting mainstream criminological questions, theories, and concepts within the biosocial perspective have grown exponentially over recent years, but still remain “fringe” compared to more mainstream perspectives. In light of these developments, this chapter aims to accomplish three goals. First, this chapter “takes stock” of the current criminological landscape through a biosocial lens in an effort to better document the progress that has been made and what areas would benefit from additional attention in future research. Second, this chapter is intended to serve as an introductory primer for criminologists who are interested in the biosocial perspective but have yet to identify other, more expansive introductory texts (e.g., Beaver, 2016). Third and finally, this chapter provides specific examples of the ways in which mainstream criminological theories or concepts can be augmented via biosocial integration.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Nebraska at Omaha, 218 CPACS, 6001 Dodge Street, Omaha, NE 68182-0149, USA

    Joseph A. Schwartz

  2. Department of Criminal Justice, Boise State University, Boise, ID, 83725, USA

    Anthony Walsh

  3. College of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32306-1127, USA

    Kevin M. Beaver

  4. Center for Social and Humanities Research, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

    Kevin M. Beaver

Authors
  1. Joseph A. Schwartz
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  2. Anthony Walsh
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  3. Kevin M. Beaver
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Correspondence to Joseph A. Schwartz .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology and Criminology & Law, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

    Marvin D. Krohn

  2. Department of Criminal Justice, Radford University, Radford, VA, USA

    Nicole Hendrix

  3. School of Criminal Justice, University at Albany, Albany, NY, USA

    Gina Penly Hall

  4. School of Criminal Justice, University at Albany, Albany, NY, USA

    Alan J. Lizotte

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Schwartz, J.A., Walsh, A., Beaver, K.M. (2019). The Biosocial Perspective: A Brief Overview and Potential Contributions to Criminological Theory. In: Krohn, M., Hendrix, N., Penly Hall, G., Lizotte, A. (eds) Handbook on Crime and Deviance. Handbooks of Sociology and Social Research. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20779-3_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20779-3_5

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-20778-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-20779-3

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

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