M.A.S.S. Student Published in Biosocial Criminology
Working with Dr. Chad Posick and colleague Dr. Michael Rocque of Bates College, M.A.S.S. graduate student Shanna Felix has had an article accepted for publication in Criminal Justice Studies for publication in a special issue on Biosocial Criminology to be released in 2015. The article, “The Role of the Brain in Urban Violent Offending: Integrating Biology with Structural Theories of ‘The Streets,’” offers a “new” look at subcultural theories of crime by integrating biological factors into existing theories of social ecology and criminal behavior. Specifically, the authors focus on how the structural pressures of poverty, discrimination, concentrated violence, and high rates of emotional abuse lead to stress on the brain. These stressors, subsequently, lead to violence and aggression often associated with delinquent groups and gangs. Therefore, the authors call for more research on how biology affects behavior in conjunction with the environment. This is essential not only in continuing to specify criminological theories but also for developing effective prevention and intervention programs that hone in on all relevant factors implicated in criminal behavior.
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