This article was originally published in September 2017.
‘Biology is not destiny, so let’s not throw away the key.’
So says Professor Adrian Raine, Richard Perry University Professor in the Departments of Criminology, Psychiatry, and Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, and Partner Investigator at the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course.
Raine, who is noted for his research into the neurobiological and biosocial causes of antisocial behaviour, is coming to Australia to deliver a keynote speech at the 2017 International Life Course Conference being held on 24 to 26 of October.
He has courted controversy throughout his career, no less so than with his latest research where he argues that there is a biological basis to crime and violence.
As Raine says, ‘While violence is a major public health problem, it is less frequently appreciated that early health disadvantages increase a child’s risk for later antisocial, violent, and criminal behaviour … For me, there is a brain basis to crime.’
‘My research,’ he says, ‘suggests that a life of crime and violence is not necessarily a destiny into which we are locked by social and environmental factors, but rather there is a biological basis for these behaviours; we can change the biological risk factors that have been shown to lead to these antisocial behaviours.’
His presentation will provide an overview of health risk factors that occur early in life which can negatively impact the brain and predispose a person to commit crimes and exhibit violent behaviour. For example, the developing fetus and its brain need good nutrition. Poor nutrition during pregnancy negatively affects the fetus’s brain development, with the offspring of mothers who experience an inadequate diet two and a half times more likely to develop antisocial behaviours in future adulthood.
Other risk factors include exposure to nicotine and carbon monoxide from pregnant mothers who smoke, which in turn affects the developing fetus’s brain; alcohol contsumption during pregnancy; and environmental toxins, for example lead exposure, which is associated with later antisocial and violent behaviour.
Raine believes we can screen and intervene to improve the outcomes of at-risk children, although this in itself can have ethical implications and risks stigmatising these children. Raine says:
‘If you buy the assumption that a bad brain leads to bad behaviour, then we can look at ways to upregulate the brain to reduce the likelihood of future crime and violence. Better nutrition, more physical exercise and cognitive stimulation, for example, can upregulate brain functioning to reduce future antisocial and violent behaviour. By intervening in a child’s life by the age of three years it is possible to reduce crime by 34 per cent 20 years later.
‘I am optimistically cautious about what we can do.’
Raine will be speaking at the 2017 International Life Course Conference, in Sydney, on 24 to 26 October. It promises to be a fascinating presentation, and one to really look forward to.
He will also be presenting a public lecture at The University of Queensland on 30 October 2017. Details here.