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Bad Nature, Bad Nurture, And Testimony Regarding Maoa And Slc6a4 Genotyping In Murder Trials, Nita A. Farahany, William Bernet, Cindy L. Vnencak-Jones, Stephen A. Montgomery Jan 2007

Bad Nature, Bad Nurture, And Testimony Regarding Maoa And Slc6a4 Genotyping In Murder Trials, Nita A. Farahany, William Bernet, Cindy L. Vnencak-Jones, Stephen A. Montgomery

Faculty Scholarship

Recent research—in which subjects were studied longitudinally from childhood until adulthood—has started to clarify how a child’s environment and genetic makeup interact to create a violent adolescent or adult. For example, male subjects who were born with a particular allele of the monoamine oxidase A gene and also were maltreated as children had a much greater likelihood of manifesting violent antisocial behavior as adolescents and adults. Also, individuals who were born with particular alleles of the serotonin transporter gene and also experienced multiple stressful life events were more likely to manifest serious depression and suicidality. This research raises the question …


Revisiting The Legal Link Between Genetics And Crime, Deborah W. Denno Apr 2006

Revisiting The Legal Link Between Genetics And Crime, Deborah W. Denno

Law and Contemporary Problems

In 1994, convicted murderer Stephen Mobley became a cause celebre when he appealed his death sentence before the Georgia Supreme Court in the case of Mobley v. State. Denno describes the potential implications arising from the high-profile case of Stephen Mobley. He sought to introduce a then-cutting-edge theory that violence could be based on a genetic or neurochemical abnormality as mitigating evidence during capital sentencing.


Genetic Predictions Of Future Dangerousness: Is There A Blueprint For Violence?, Erica Beecher-Monas, Edgar Garcia-Rill Apr 2006

Genetic Predictions Of Future Dangerousness: Is There A Blueprint For Violence?, Erica Beecher-Monas, Edgar Garcia-Rill

Law and Contemporary Problems

Beecher-Monas and Garcia-Rill consider the unfortunate probability that behavioral genetics evidence will be misused to substantiate predictions of future dangerousness.


Addiction, Genetics, And Criminal Responsibility, Stephen J. Morse Apr 2006

Addiction, Genetics, And Criminal Responsibility, Stephen J. Morse

Law and Contemporary Problems

In light of the abundance of studies focusing on the genetic contributions to addiction, Morse develops a meaningful background on the legal and scientific images of behavior, the disease concept of addiction, and the aspects of addiction for which a person may be held legally accountable.


Misinformation, Misrepresentation, And Misuse Of Human Behavioral Genetics Research, Jonathan Kaplan Apr 2006

Misinformation, Misrepresentation, And Misuse Of Human Behavioral Genetics Research, Jonathan Kaplan

Law and Contemporary Problems

Kaplan discusses the limitations of human behavioral genetics studies, highlighting the research limitations inherent in studying humans and the narrow policy and legal applicability of results arising from behavioral genetics studies.


Behavioral Genetics And Crime, In Context, Owen D. Jones Apr 2006

Behavioral Genetics And Crime, In Context, Owen D. Jones

Law and Contemporary Problems

Jones explains the relationship between behavioral genetics and other disciplines in behavioral biology. He compares the potential contributions of behavioral genetics and behavioral ecology and suggests how the diverging efforts could be joined. He also notes that criminal law is but one of many fields of law potentially affected by behavioral genetics.


Considering Convergence: A Policy Dialogue About Behavioral Genetics, Neuroscience, And Law, Brent Garland, Mark S. Frankel Apr 2006

Considering Convergence: A Policy Dialogue About Behavioral Genetics, Neuroscience, And Law, Brent Garland, Mark S. Frankel

Law and Contemporary Problems

Garland and Frankel issue a call for scientists, lawyers, courts and lawmakers to begin a critical dialogue about the implications of scientific discoveries and technological advances in criminal law, behavioral genetics and neuroscience.


Behavioural Genetics In Criminal Cases: Past, Present And Future, Nita A. Farahany, William Bernet Jan 2006

Behavioural Genetics In Criminal Cases: Past, Present And Future, Nita A. Farahany, William Bernet

Faculty Scholarship

Researchers studying human behavioral genetics have made significant scientific progress in enhancing our understanding of the relative contributions of genetics and the environment in observed variations in human behavior. Quickly outpacing the advances in the science are its applications in the criminal justice system. Already, human behavioral genetics research has been introduced in the U.S. criminal justice system, and its use will only become more prevalent. This essay discusses the recent historical use of behavioral genetics in criminal cases, recent advances in two gene variants of particular interest in the criminal law, MAOA and SLC6A4, the recent expert testimony on …