Essay On Criminals Are Born Or Made

In discussions of nature versus nurture, one controversial issue has been whether criminals are born or made. On one hand, people argue that criminals have a distinct genetic makeup and it is their nature that makes them this way. On the other hand, some people contend that criminals are produced and shaped by society and environmental factors such as: family, school, and community. When referring to criminals or criminal behavior, that can be defined in numerous ways. Criminal behavior can vary from an act prohibited by the law, behavior that violates a social norm, or an act that results in severe damage, mentally or physically, to the victim. My own view of this ongoing psychology debate is that criminals are significantly impacted by their upbringing and life experiences. Therefore, criminals are made, not born. …show more content…
A person’s environment plays an imperative role in how someone is raised and socialized. What kind of parents a child grows up with, can greatly alter the behaviors they adapt well into their adulthood. For example, according to the 2015 winner of the RIT Kearse Award for Writing, Caitlin M. Jones found that families with lack of or weak communication illustrated a strong correlation with a child’s development of aggressive or criminal behavior. Similarly, it has been found that children who are well-raised and have learned to adapt to others are far less likely to become criminals. If a child’s parents are loving and caring, it is likely that the child will emulate those same qualities; on the other hand, aggressive or impulsive parents are likely to produce aggressive and impulsive