2^nd Edition

Gail S. Anderson

Biological Influences on Criminal Behavior 2^nd edition is fully updated to include recent research, studies, and publications examining the integration of the biological view with mainstream social, psychological, and environmental views on the subject of major influences in criminality and criminal behavior. The first edition of the book was written with the belief, grounded in research, that something vital can be discovered when we assess all the factors related to the causes of crime, including biology. Since the first edition was published, it has become broadly accepted that biology is certainly a factor in criminal behavior, albeit a singular piece to the puzzle. Increased collaborations between scientists and criminologists have led to a much stronger understanding of the intricacies of biology’s role in behavior. As well, more criminologists have biological backgrounds. As the science involved became more complex, so too did this text. This second edition considers the more recent and integrated research that is being conducted today to show the interaction between the environment and a person’s biology that leads to our behavior. Studies in the interaction has progressed to show that the environment acts on, and actually changes the functions of some genes. The book begins with basic scientific principles and advances to introduce the reader to the more in-depth discussions of various biological influences. Biological Influences on Criminal Behavior 2nd edition is written primarily for social science and law students who wish to understand this exciting area. The book offers a greater understanding of this rapidly growing field so that its lessons can help to inform policy, treatments, rehabilitation and the law.

Print ISBN: 0367360012

eText ISBN: 9781000712117, 1000712117

About the Author

Gail Anderson is the author of Biological Influences on Criminal Behavior and is Professor of Forensic Science in the Simon Fraser University School of Criminology. Her research interests include: the use of science in criminal justice; forensic, medical and veterinary entomology; poaching/wildlife trade.