Required Readings

Bartol, C. R., & Bartol, A. (2017). Criminal behavior: A psychological approach (11th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Chapter 3, “Origins of Criminal Behavior: Biological Factors” (pp. 59-66, 79-81)
Note: These pages are part of a chapter assigned in Week 1.

Jones, C. (2005). Genetic and environmental influences on criminal behavior. Retrieved from http://www.personalityresearch.org/papers/jones.html

Buss, D. (2012). The evolutional psychology of crime. Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Criminology Commentary Special Edition, 1(1), 90–98. Retrieved from https://labs.la.utexas.edu/buss/files/2015/09/Evolutionary-psychology-and-crime.pdf
 

Assignment: Evolutionary Theory and Crime

Darwin’s theory of evolution explains the development of biological characteristics in various species of plants and animals as essential to their survival over time. This theory is also relevant to human social behavior, and, by extension, criminal behavior—and is argued by evolutionary psychologists who propose that it provides explanations for a range of antisocial behaviors, including rape and murder. They note that in some social environments, these aggressive behaviors may be viewed as being advantageous to survival and are indicative of survival of the fittest or natural selection theories. Some criminologists, however, deem this idea to be invalid, and they and other critics of applying evolutionary theory to criminal behavior assert that evolution does not adequately explain aggressive crimes. Instead, they suggest relying on a combination of factors to explain aggressive criminal behavior.

For this Assignment, select two crimes with which you are familiar to which evolutionary theory may be applied. For each of the crimes, reflect on how the aspects of the criminal behavior and the characteristics of the criminal(s) might be explained by evolutionary theory.

Reflect on whether or not you think evolutionary theory accounts for criminal behavior, and consider your reasons why.

Assignment (1-2 pages):

• Briefly describe the crimes you selected.
• Explain how evolutionary theory does and does not account for each crime, using specific examples.
• Explain whether or not you think evolutionary theory accounts for criminal behavior and why, using specific examples.

Support your Assignment with specific references to all resources used in its preparation. You are asked to provide a reference list only for those resources not included in the resources for this course.

By Day 7