Sick Criminals & Healthy Citizens
Could Doctors Stop Crime? Scientists have found evidence that suggests some criminals cant help themselves.
Could Doctors Stop Crime? Scientists have found evidence that suggests some criminals can't help themselves.
People who commit crimes may suffer from an illness. Much like anyone can develop cancer, could you develop an impetus to engage in criminal activity? Perhaps, criminal impulses are beyond our control. Despite our naive perception many of our actions and decisions occur before we are consciously aware of them. We tend to feel like a jockey controlling a horse but we may in fact be riding an elephant we can barely guide. This feeling of control makes us think we are responsible for our actions. According to Dr David Eagleman, a neurologist, there may simply be no distinction between you and your brain. In contrast, most criminal systems are predicated on people being equally able to make rational choices.
Our modern understanding of the brain suggests that biological and physiological factors can influence how we think, feel, and act. Such factors have been associated with sudden changes in behavior, violence, and sexual orientation.
First, some people who suffer from Parkinson’s disease started recklessly gambling after they were treated with pramipexole. Most of these individuals had never gambled compulsively before. It seems that the same medication which alleviated the onslaught of this disease affected their ability to control their impulses. This suggests that a small amount of a chemical can have a large impact on how people behave.
Second, brain tumors have been associated with instances of violence. In 1966, Charles Whitman killed his wife and his mother before going to the University of Texas where he shot people indiscriminately. Whitman had served in the army and appeared to be a well functioning adult. He had complained about changes in his mind and had even sought medical help. His suicide note asked for his brain to be studied so similar tragedies could be prevented. In this case a glioblastoma was found near his amygdala which is thought to regulate emotions including fear and aggression. Whitman’s suicide note and his attempt to get help suggest that at least part of him did not want to kill these people.
There is also a shocking case where a brain tumor turned a heterosexual father into a paedophile. His wife discovered that he had been collecting child pornography and reported him. Before his impending arrest the man felt poorly and visited a doctor who found a brain tumor. Once this tumor was removed his sexual proclivity for children disappeared. Doctors discovered his tumor had grown back when his paedophilia returned. Once this newly found tumor was excised, his interest in child pornography disappeared.
For Dr. Eagleman this case:
“There is no meaningful distinction between a person’s biology and his decision-making. They are inseparable”
These examples sound convincing. Yet, there are people who take these medications and do not develop gambling addictions. There are individuals with brain tumors in similar locations who do not turn violent or whose sexual urges remain unchanged.
Medical professionals and scientists have consistently connected social ills to biology and physiology over the past centuries.
The search for scientifico-medical solutions to society’s problems has been pervasive since the late 19th century. Several theories have been discussed that blame genetics, biology, or even anatomy to explain the origin of crime. There was phrenology that alleged that the shape of people’s skulls yielded clues about their behaviors. In the early twentieth century movements like eugenics localized society’s ills in people’s biology. Other examples include psychological approaches and physiological approaches to curtail crime. For example, Millard Wright successfully requested a lobotomy to cut his criminal tendencies and suffered tragic consequences.
These historical examples do not mean all scientifico-medical approaches to cut crime are doomed to fail. However, they do suggest that overzealous enthusiasm for technological solutions can have problems. Hopefully, their study can help current decision-makers tailor appropriate interventions. The fact that physiological or biochemical factors could drive people to act in unpalatable ways raises questions about culpability and how penal and carceral systems should manage people who have committed crimes. These efforts seek to turn sick criminals into healthy citizens.
Authors: Christian Orlic & Lucas Heili both contributed equally to this post.
Originally published on Medium