The relationship between intel... free essay sample

The relationship between intelligence and crime is a topic that is still currently debated among many individuals. Despite the progress we have made in science, such as high-tech brain imaging and tests that target intelligence, there are many deficiencies that still exist regarding to the mechanisms that underlie the crime-intelligence relationship. When the short comings of these mechanisms are looked at more closely, scientist find that there are new hypothesis that have emerge in order to fully understand, and explain the intelligence factor within the criminal relationship. Intelligence itself is defined generally as cognitive abilities, brain-based abilities, and the general intelligence abilities of individuals. We first have to look at the basics of the human IQ differential among criminal offenders verses non-criminal offenders. It is believed that the IQ for offenders that are in the juvenile bracket is on average ninety-two percent overall while about twenty five percent of adult offenders in the prison system had a IQ below the eighty percent bracket (Ellis ;Walsh, 2003). We will write a custom essay sample on The relationship between intel or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page An average of only ten percent of non-criminal offenders in the general population score below the eighty mark, while sixty-three percent score an average of sixty-four IQ. If we look at the scores that are derived from inmates in prison, this in itself clearly shows a correlation between intelligence and criminal offense. Studies conducted have found that individuals with lower IQs are more likely to commit a criminal offense or be involved in some sort of criminal activity over the course of their lives (Ellis Walsh, 2003). These individuals are more likely to be involved in crimes involving acts of violence and have even been shown to participate in property crime. There are also genetic and environmental influences within IQ and intelligence factors that relate to the individuals that commit criminal offenses. Scientist believed prior to the nineteen sixties that the origin of IQ itself was genetically hereditary, but quickly fell out of favor and was classified as a politically incorrect research topic. Advances in the field of science quickly ushered in a new era of understanding for the origin of IQ as behavioral genetics. There were a variety of methods use by researchers to help them dissect the behavior of humans and classify them into components. These components consisted of the proporti on of variance in IQ that is attributable to environments that are similar within all the family members, environmental influences that are unique to specific or individual family members, and the variance within the IQ that is associated with genes. Studies conducted with twins were preferred in order to look at environmental vs genetic influences due to the fact that they share DNA and this allows researchers to estimate the degree of heritability in the complex traits of these individuals. It was hypothesized that if IQ is one hundred percent inheritable than the twins themselves would roughly score within the same range bracket. On the other hand if environmental factors and variable are responsible than the estimates within the heritability factor should be reduced by a substantial amount. There have been numerous behavioral studies that have shown that genetic influences of individuals are extensive across a wide range of human traits and behavioral patterns. It has also been shown that there are relative contributions of both environmental factors and genetic factors to intelligence itself. Environmental influences on an individuals IQ is extremely hard to detect due to the fact that the human genes that are associated w ith cognition are also related to that of social behaviors. One example we can look at is a family that has a live in grandmother that reads all the time and has a notorious number of books. This would mean that there would be more reading material available to the children. This would more than likely produce children with hire IQs than that of a household who has no books. This direct factor shows how influences in every day lives contribute to the development of intelligence. Indirect relationships are another factor that had criminologist sought to research and examine in regards to the intelligence-crime relationship. The main theory that was looked at is known as the social bond theory. Examining this theory more closely stated that humans are born with the natural sense to commit crime. If this is true then people would actually have to be stopped before they could carry out their desires. An individuals ability to restrain themselves from carrying out a crime is believed to be influenced greatly by the individuals bonds to society and their community. The bonds which theoretically tie humans together are known as attachment to society, personal commitment to society, involvement in society, and certain aspects of belief within that society. When these bonds were looked at closely it was discovered that a persons attachment to school is the most relevant in the explanation of indirect relationships. These are bonds that people make while attending school with other individuals or instructors. The theory is that individuals that build these strong relationships would rather avoid shaming or disappointing the people they have become close to. This would in turn deter the individual from committing the crime or prevent them from acting out in a delinquent manner. But a factor that tends to be overlooked is a persons ability on an intellectual level and how this can affec t them negatively. For example, failing classes or struggling to catch up on homework which in turn causing failing grades. This would potentially cause more stress and anxiety causing the individual to act out with violence. The attachments formed with instructors would begin to become severed and commitment would dissipate. Although focusing on cognitive factors that place people at a much higher rate of likelihood to commit crimes or to recommit crimes, we still need to focus on other characteristics such as responsivity factors. These factors need to be researched closely and both identified and evaluated because they can potentially interfere or interact with a persons ability to be able to respond properly to treatment or programs that have been put into place. Personality disorders for example such as Paranoid Personality Disorder, Schizotypal Personality Disorder, and Narcissistic Personality Disorder all have the potential to affect the intelligence-crime relationship. When placing people int o rehabilitation programs professionals need to evaluate a persons intelligence level to be able to determine possible struggles or the potential to commit crimes. This should be considered because people with these types of disorders along with their intelligence level would potentially cause different trains of thought and processing. This would also allow professionals to evaluate the potential of individuals to complete the rehabilitation programs and prevent them from returning to prison.