Three-year-olds with a poorly functioning amygdala, a key part of the limbic system, were also more likely to commit crime 20 years later, said Dr Raine, a former Home Office scientist now at the University of Pennsylvania in the US.No-one in this article asks whether the social conditions in which these children grow up not only amplify but also act as a multiplier for the biological conditions that might influence un-empathetic and anti-social behaviour. Also, no-one mentions how the criminal code and its prohibitions and restrictions contributes to the likelihood of a person's turn to, or unwilling (protestors = terrorists?), criminality.
These quotes at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington DC sent shivers down my spine:
Dr. Raine said: "Seeds of sin are sown quite early in life. The time is going to come when we are going to be able to predict reasonably well which individuals at a modest age say eight to 10 years old are predicated to become criminal offenders."
"The point is going to come when we have to decide; are we going to intervene at an early age even though the prediction will never ever be perfect and we'll always make mistakes."
"Its very simple - bad brain, bad behaviour," said Dr Raine. "If there is a causal connection.. then the intervention has to be improve brain functioning and you will improve behaviour. That's what were attempting to do."
