Biosocial Theorizing and Criminal Justice Policy

  • Lee Ellis
Chapter

Abstract

All criminologists recognize the importance of social variables in crime causation but, unfortunately, most still turn a blind eye to the contribution of biological variables. In a recent survey, a colleague and I found that less than ten percent of American criminologists consider biological variables important in explaining variations in criminal and delinquent behavior (Ellis and Walsh, 1999). Despite the continued unpopularity of criminological theories that jointly consider biological and socio-learning variables, I predict that such theories will gradually come to dominate the field of criminology over the next quarter of a century.

Keywords

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Frontal Lobe Human Nature Testosterone Level Sexual Selection 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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© Albert Somit and Steven A. Peterson 2003

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  • Lee Ellis

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