Biosocial Theories of Crime

The complexities of human behavior require explanations that incorporate multiple areas of inquiry. While the field of criminology has often relied on solely sociological explanations, a biosocial perspective is expansive and relies on the consilience of empirical findings from several disciplines. Biosocial criminology is a perspective that argues both environmental factors and biological factors are necessary to explain crime and criminal behavior. This entry outlines three main areas of biosocial criminology (behavioral genetics, molecular genetics, and neurocriminology) as well as describing how biosocial criminology can inform and improve correctional treatment.