The search for a biological basis for criminal behavior has taken place for many years and will continue for many more years. The fact that criminologists do not agree on “why crime occurs” can be seen as a limitation in the field (Cullen, F., Agnew, R., & Wilcox, P. 2014). A real story that is making headlines and begs the question of what causes crime is the killing of Colleen Ritzer on October 22, 2013 in Danvers, Massachusetts. Ritzer, a popular teacher, was attacked and savagely killed without warning by a fourteen year old student, Philip Chism. The recent start to Chism’s murder trial has become marked with controversy. Chism’s behavior became increasingly bizarre as he began banging his head on the floor of his cell. Chism’s lawyers report that he doesn’t understand the proceedings against him. It would appear that an insanity defense will be used, but Assistant District Attorney Kate MacDougall called Chism a “manipulative fake” who is holding the trial “hostage” (Sweet, …show more content…
It seems no one can rule out or rule in anything. Barnes stated that, “if we’re showing that genes have an overwhelming influence on who gets put onto the life course persistent pathway, then that would suggest we need to know which genes are involved and at the same time, how they’re interacting with the environment so we can tailor interventions” (as cited in University of Texas at Dallas, 2012, p. 3). Barnes also stated that even a one percent probability is important and that the link between genes and crime is a divisive issue in the criminology discipline, which has primarily focused on environment and social factors that cause or influence deviant behavior (as cited in UT Dallas,