Criminal Minds..Nature or Nurture?

Some households are calm and peaceful, and this is where most of us have grown up. On the other hand, there are parents who don't appreciate their children and beat and abuse them. Studies have shown that criminals nowadays have a record of being abused, either physically or sexually, in their homes while growing up. In some criminals, damage in their frontal lobe of the brain has been found. This part of the brain controls our actions and our feelings and impulses. Some causes may be from nature, because of the mother’s actions. Criminal behavior can start in the mother’s womb and grow later in life, but most cases come from nurture; abuse and neglecting from their parents in their childhood.


To start, it is a fundamental rule for mothers not to drink or smoke during pregnancy, because it may cause birth defects and damage to the child. It can cause deformations, neurological problems, mental retardation, and a very serious problem called Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). “The effects of FAS, which include physical deformities as well as mental and behavioral problems, are extensive and last for the duration of the child's life... drinking alcohol while pregnant increases the risk of developmental problems in the brain. This leads to behavioral problems, problems with learning, shorter memories and psychological disorders as well as other negative consequences” (Spencer Hendricks) The behavioral problems that can be caused in the brain can come from malformations in the front lobe which controls our impulses and the way we act and react towards something. FAS is not the only cause for a malformation of the brain in a womb, but it is one of the main reasons. Criminal minds can come from nature.

Although a baby’s growth in the womb is safe, it may not be as peaceful once it is born. The way parents raise their child influences greatly in their personality and what they will become later in life. Studies have shown that most criminals have a record of being physically or sexually abused in their homes during their childhood, and damage in the brain. “According to a 2005 study sponsored by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), maltreatment in childhood increases the likelihood of arrest as a juvenile by 59% and as an adult by 28%. Abuse as a child also increases the prospect of arrest for a violent crime by 30%.” ("Medicine Net") Abusing children from an early age can make them want to let out their rage with other people when they grow up, or make them think that what their parents did to them is normal and ok. It can also cause damages in the brain or mental disorders from the trauma and the hitting and injuring. It can be said that a criminal mind can be nurtured.

To conclude, a criminal mind can come from nature or nurture. Personally, I think most of the cases come from nurture and abusive parents. Studies have also shown that behavioral problems can be formed by problems in the womb, especially the use of alcohol. I believe that a malformation in the brain before the baby is born does not automatically mean this child will be a criminal or anything of the sort, but that behavior can be triggered by abuse or a bad life during their childhood. Criminal behavior can result from nature or from nurture.

Works cited:

-http://www.health-res.com/EX/08-06-14/mri.jpg. September 9, 2010.
-http://www.smamuhiyogya.org/projects/D2D/group10/childabuseG1109_468x329.jpg. September 9, 2010.
-Hendricks, Spencer. "What Are The Dangers of Alcohol to a Fetus?." Ehow. 4/8/2010. Web. 9 Sep 2010. http://www.ehow.com/list_6814684_dangers-alcohol-fetus_.html.
-"Are people who were abused as children more likely to become criminals later in life?." Medicine Net. 4/4/2008. Web. 9 Sep 2010. http://www.medicinenet.com/child_abuse/page9.htm.