A lot of behavior essays are written unfolding this topic. Modern television is filled with scenes of violence. This can especially be said about the news. Today, every news broadcast has at least one report or running commentary dedicated to various kinds of offence or even homicide. In fact, crime has always been an everyday occurrence all along the existence of the humankind. On the other hand, it is not easy to understand what exactly makes people commit violent actions towards others. Moreover, it is very difficult to understand why a person from a good family and who had a normal trauma-free childhood becomes a criminal. This leads to the idea that mental processes of such people somehow run differently than those of average people. Numerous scientific studies show that brain activity of some people implies chemical imbalances, which explain shifts in consciousness and tendency to act violently. Also, a certain percentage of people with the tendency to violence have various brain disorders and are usually considered as psychopaths.
In is known that there are no two identical brains among people. Therefore, they have slight differences in their activity that determine individual variations. Such biological variations have a significant impact on reactions of individuals to certain factors. One of the most significant distinctions is the difference between males and females. If to compare both genders, one can see that males are more sexually aggressive, while females express themselves more in words than in actions. Males’ suprachiasmatic nucleus as well as the amygdale are usually twice as big as those of females. This phenomenon can be explained by the level of testosterone, which also affects sexual behavior of a person. If the level of testosterone is higher, suprachiasmatic nucleus is larger, which leads to more active and violent sexual behavior. On the other hand, females have bigger corpus callosum and anterior commissure. In fact, two above mentioned structures play an important role in communication between the right and the left hemispheres. In this case, better communication between two hemispheres provides higher verbal fluency. The abovementioned slight differences in brain structure and activity have a powerful impact on person’s behavior in general. Therefore, differences in brain structure and activity make some people take violent actions and are the only reason for them to become criminals.
To understand why some individuals are more prone to antisocial behavior and violence than other people, the parts of the brain that are responsible for social behavior must be determined. Some scientists claim that prefrontal cortex is somehow related to changes in people’s social behavior. Also, in cases of males’ irregularities in the brain structure, their prefrontal cortex usually has less grey matter. Reduced activity of prefrontal cortex has been observed among individuals with brain disorders. This could be seen on their PET scans that showed sell activity range in terms of glucose uptake. 38 murderers were examined in the research. All participants were divided into two groups: 12 individuals came from questionable backgrounds, and 26 individuals were raised in good conditions in the childhood. This research showed that the activity in medial prefrontal cortex of murderers who had good childhood was 5.7 percent lower than that of the murderers with unsatisfactory upbringings. The same can be said about the activity within the right orbital frontal cortex, it was 14.2 percent lower.
The above mentioned results vividly show that people with abnormal behavior have various deviations in brain chemistry unlike people who have normal brain structure and activity. In fact, the problem can be the connection of the limbic system and prefrontal cortex that may cause a burst of aggressive behavior. Right frontal orbital cortex is responsible for the feeling of fear. Even though fear is the essential part of human brain activity, parts of the brain that are associated with fear connect it with the outer behavior and define it as socially friendly or unacceptable.
In order to find ways to deal with this problem, another research was carried out. 41 murderers were examined to determine their brain cell activity. Results showed a decrease of normal communication rate between the right brain and the left brain. The corpus callosum, which is the bridge that connects both hemispheres, showed 18 percent less activity from its normal state. Such result can be considered substantial and useful because the left hemisphere is responsible for rational aspects of life, and the right hemisphere is responsible for emotions and may be the general reason for irrational behavior. In this case, if the link between two hemispheres does function properly, rational and emotional sides will have a disbalance in performing functions, which results in mental defects. Usually, left hemisphere dominance can be observed among most people. On the other hand, brains of murderers are usually not dominated by the left or the right hemisphere of brain. However, the above mentioned research shows that brains of murderers are dominated more by emotive side than those of normal people. Also, PET scans showed 6 percent increase of brain activity (comparing to the control data), particularly in the amygdala thalamus and limbic system. Increased activity in some parts of the brain can indicate most powerful feelings since they control fundamental feelings, for example, aggression, irritation, sexual excitement, etc.
Talking about the differences in brain's structure and activity, one serious issue should be examined and determined: if these differences are caused by environmental or genetic factors. Unfortunately, the abnormality of brain structure is still not explored in full. However, two possible causes can be named already. The first reason of brain activity defects refers to a genetic field. Smoking cigarettes, abusing alcohol, and drug consumption by the mother throughout pregnancy or various complications during birth may cause slight or serious brain damage. Also, undernourishment that causes vitamin deficiency or experiences that will lead to possible psychological shifts are potential reasons for future defected brain activity. In fact, childhood experiences of every individual play a significant role in brain development, and if serious physical or psychological problems took place, it is highly possible that they will turn into mental health problems.
Unfortunately, people cannot influence his or her own genetics and environment at the early stages of life, and, therefore, they cannot control changes in the brain activity by self. From this perspective, criminals and murderers cannot be responsible for their own violent and illegal actions. Taking into account information presented above, a clear conclusion can be made that differences in the brain structure and activity affect individuals' actions, which they cannot prevent or control properly. Moreover, this raises a question: why criminals are punished if they are not responsible for their actions towards others? Few reasons can be named as to why people do not possess the absolute power to control all actions. For example, all people emit such chemical substances as pheromones that can be perceived by other people only on the unconscious level. These pheromones have a significant impact on sensuous attraction of one person to another on the biological level. As a result individuals are attracted to another person and cannot give any logical reason why they feel this sympathy. Also, attraction caused by pheromones affects the actions towards the person he or she feels attracted to, and it is important to understand that different people react on pheromones in different ways.
Even though criminals may see reality from a different perspective, they still must learn how to control their emotions and behaviors. Taking into account all the abovementioned notions, one can say that due to slight or serious differences in brain structure and activity of criminals it is rather hard for them to control their emotions and actions. However, it is still possible because the brain may only affect the type of behavior but it does not determine it completely. In fact, scientists should be capable to understand and determine brain differences in order to assist in crime prevention. Moreover, if felons can be distinguished from normal people, they can be taught how to deal with anger or other feelings that may lead to violence. This will significantly reduce crime rates all over the world.