The inclination to evil and the punishment of crime - from the bible to behavioral genetics
- 1Division of Law, Ethics, and Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York, U.S.A.
- 2New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York, U.S.A.
Abstract
The evolving field of behavioral genetics is gradually elucidating the complex interplay between genes and environment. Scientific data pertaining to the behavioral genetics of violent behavior provides a new context for an old dilemma regarding criminal responsibility and punishment: if the inclination to violent behavior is inherent in someone's nature, how should it affect punishment for crime? Should it be considered as a mitigating or an aggravating factor? Given psychiatrists' increasing involvement in providing testimony on behavioral genetics in the criminal justice system, this paper first provides the necessary background required for understanding how this question arises and reviews the relevant literature. Then, we address this question from the perspective of the Bible and its commentators, in the belief that their insights may enrich the contemporary discussion of this question.
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