Does criminality run in families?
Does criminality run in families?
Some of the criminologists say the figures provide striking new evidence for the theory that criminality tends to run in families, particularly those of more violent criminals. But the studies do not settle the long debate over whether it is the environment or genetic predisposition that makes a person a criminal.
Terrie Moffitt, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Wisconsin, said the statistics contradict the popular view that delinquents learn crime from their friends. "This shows that where you really learn delinquency from is from your family," she said. "These children grow up knowing their parents and siblings are criminals."
Professor Moffitt said the findings were particularly important because they illustrated that crime often emerged early in life inside the family.
"A criminal is made when the mother drinks and smokes or uses drugs and causes her baby to grow up with a learning disorder," a problem that helps lead to delinquency, Professor Moffitt said. "A criminal is made when a 3-year-old isn't given consistent discipline, or a 7-year-old doesn't get help with his homework because the parents are not good parents."
Recent studies have shown that disciplinary problems in school and low achievement in class are strong predictors of delinquency.
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