Forensics

Question 1

A01 Genetics general

Answer 1

The suggestion that some genes allow for a genetic predisposition towards offending.

Question 2

A01 genetics twin studies

Answer 2

Raine studied twins who had been involved delinquent behaviour and found that 52% concordance rate between MZ twins and 21% concordance with DZ twins.

Question 3

A01 Monomaine oxidase A

Answer 3

Study on a Dutch family who’s males had a history with violent behaviours. They were found to have a gene that led to low levels of MAOA.

Question 4

A01 Cadherin 13

Answer 4

Finnish study by Tiihonen on 900 offenders, they found to have low levels of MAOA as well as low activity in the CDH13 gene. It was estimated that 5-10% of crime in Finland is down to abnormalities in these genes.

Question 5

A01 Diathesis stress

Answer 5

Epigenetics allows for environmental factors to influence genes by ‘switching’ them on or off. Caspi Et Al followed some infants from infancy to the age of 26 and found that 12% of men measured had low MAOA and had also experienced childhood abuse, they also accounted for 44% of crime.

Question 6

A03 Adoption studies Crowe

Answer 6

Crowe found that adopted children with a biological parent who had a criminal record were 50% more likely to have one themselves by age 18.

However those who did not have a mother with a criminal record the risk was only 5%.

Question 7

A03 Adoption studies Mednick

Answer 7

Mednick research found, in a study of 14,000 adoptees, 15% of sons adopted by a criminal family went onto also commit crimes.

This is compared with 20% of children who committed crimes, had biological parents who had a criminal record.