Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.twt.life From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: Crime: Is it Date: Wed, 4 Nov 92 16:16:30 EST Message-ID: \SE D;LIFE;WAY OF LIFE \SS (WS) \HD Crime: Is it relative? \SH Studies look at family role in violence \BY Terry H. Burns \CR COPLEY NEWS SERVICE Crime, like some diseases, may run in the family, the Justice Department reports. More than half of all juvenile delinquents held in state institutions and at least a third of all adult prison inmates have close family members who have served time, according to recent studies by the department's Bureau of Justice Statistics. While the findings stop short of fixing the blame on either genetic or environmental factors, they seem to indicate that children growing up in a troubled family are more predisposed to a life of crime. In the case of adult prison and jail inmates, an estimated 29 percent reported having either a brother or sister incarcerated at one time or another, while nearly 9 percent said a parent had served time. The study also found that nearly 25 percent of the juveniles had a father who had been jailed or imprisoned. "There certainly, based on the study, is a correlation between parent criminality and the criminality of their children," says Allen Beck, an author of the study and a statistician with the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Although the figures offer some insight into the problem of crime in the family, they fail to establish a definite link between it and genetics or the environment, says Deborah W. Denno, a professor of law at Fordham University and the author of "Biology and Violence: From Birth to Adulthood." The study ignores the fact that many children "are very much influenced by peers as well as their families," she says. Ms. Denno believes it's virtually impossible to separate the genetic and environmental influences when it comes to the making of a criminal. "It's very much circular, they affect one another. An unstable environment can lead to biological problems and the other way around. They work together on the child," she adds. "It's too simplistic to say [that criminal behavior is the result] of a genetic link or a family link. You have the whole neighborhood and a subculture of violence working on these kids," Ms. Denno says. Mr. Beck, however, says the study shows some possible link between criminality and the way children are raised. The lack of parental oversight and forms of neglect "have an impact on how children develop and there may be some connection between criminality and certain child-raising practices," he says. "One thing we really underestimate [in determining a child's predisposition to crime] is the impact of early life experiences," says Dr. Bruce Perry, a child psychiatrist and director of the Center for the Study of Childhood Trauma at the University of Chicago. Children exposed to violence and aggressive behavior tend to grow up impulsive, aggressive and unpredictable, he says. That kind of exposure - especially to parents who abuse drugs or alcohol - "predisposes you to that type of behavior," he adds. However, it would be premature to blame criminal traits purely on genetics, he cautions. "There is much more evidence to suggest it's related to environment and what a child is exposed to at a young age." Dr. Perry says studies have shown that children - whether they be white, black or Hispanic - growing up in an impoverished environment are more likely to face a life of crime. "If you're the most aggressive and impulsive and you grow up in the ghetto, you become a street-gang leader, but if you grow up in Winnetka, Ill., you become a company leader," Dr. Perry says. The key, however, remains the family. "Ultimately, families that are intact and parents who really care about their kids are influential in a kid not becoming a criminal. It's not just coming from a bad neighborhood, it's about environment and the family," Ms. Denno says. This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM