Crime: Its Cause and Treatment

Cutting edge research in the field of neuroeconomics supports Darrow's hypothes…

(5 stars)

cja_inc

The reader is correct that this book reflects Clarence Darrow's deeply held belief that "psychological, physical, and environmental influences—not a conscious choice between right and wrong—control human behavior." The reader is incorrect when he dismisses this hypothesis as "a simplistic behaviourist view of human behaviour." Far from being a simple-minded behaviorist, Clarence Darrow was an intuitive genius whose theories on the causes of crime were way ahead of his time. Darrow wrote this book in 1922. It would be another 30 years before the structure and function of DNA would be discovered, Today, more than 75 years after it was written, cutting edge neurological research seems to support Darrow's central hypothesis that criminal behavior is caused by psycho-physical factors that are beyond the individual's control. Scientists working in the new field of neuro-economics have established a direct link between the mechanics that regulates individual decision-making and the genetic structure of the human brain. Just last week an international team of scientists announced the discovery of the specific part of the brain that controls decision making. See "Scientists discover brain part that drives decision-making," http://www.cbsnews.com/news/scientists-discover-decision-making-brain-structure/ (Nov. 25, 2013). See also "Fundamental role for lateral habenula in promoting subjective decision biases," http://www.nature.com/neuro/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nn.3587.html >>> Additional research in this area is also being conducted in the Glimcher Lab at NYU. http://www.decisionsrus.com See Paul W. Glimcher (2008) Neuroeconomics. Scholarpedia, 3(10):1759); See also "The Neural Basis of Decision Making," >> http://homepages.inf.ed.ac.uk/pseries/CCN/gold_shadlen_review.pdf. (2007). While the scientific research on the causal connection between brain structure and decision-making is still in its infancy, it increasingly looks as if variations or defects in the physical structure of the human brain can predispose certain individuals to engage in the type of impulsive decision-making that precipitates criminal conduct. Although the researchers have been focusing their studies on economic decision-making, the implications of this research for the administration of the criminal justice system are obvious. Can individuals with specific variations in brain structure be considered to have been "hard-wired" for a life of crime? Google > "brain structure" + "decision making."

A serious presentation of the issue.

(4 stars)

A LibriVox Listener

Spell binding read

(5 stars)

Michele Fry

Darrow’s perspective on what man is, what crime is, and what to do with criminals, is definitely tainted by his 30 years spent in the courtroom, up close and personal with criminals. To conclude that “crime is caused by property”, and that “before the industrial revolution there wasn’t much crime” because there wasn’t so much disparity between how much property people owned, rang true but also seemed to argue for a forced redistribution of wealth. A dichotomy - take from the rich to give to the poor is a crime too, isn’t it? Anyway, a provocative book, makes you think, and expertly read by Peter Yearsley.

Neither dry nor dull.

(5 stars)

avid_adlib

Quite compelling, especially as read by Peter Yearsley.