Biological Factors and the Development of Persistent Criminality

This chapter orients the reader to the current biological models of delinquent psychopathology and provides an overview of the biological literature; including heritability, psychophysiology, neurobiology, and endocrinology related to the development of persistent criminal behavior in children and adolescents. The four areas of crime-related psychopathology discussed are early-onset conduct disorder, juvenile psychopathy, bullying, and sex offending. Research is presented in connection with widely accepted biological models of behavior. This chapter also highlights the strengths and limitations of the existing literature, consolidates this literature to identify patterns of convergence and divergence across disorders, and suggests areas for future research.