The safety of the society can sometimes be compromised due to the deviant behaviors of certain individuals. Violent and aggressive individuals have to be reprimanded and corrected in order to maintain the peace and order of the society. More than just dealing with these violent and aggressive offenders, criminologists have long puzzled themselves over the root causes of violence and aggression in the society.
The debate of nature over nurture and biology and environment among others have proliferated in looking for the reasons behind violence and aggression. When the reasons for violence and aggression have been determined, then criminologists and the rest of the society can work towards the prevention of such deviant acts. The understanding of the causes of violence and aggression could also lead towards the effective means of treating and dealing with the offenders in the society.According to Diana Fishbein, biology and even the chemical makeup of a person plays really important role in the propensity of a person for violence.
If the biological and chemical makeup of a person could be manipulated, they could help a person avoid impulses to violence. Hence, using chemical treatment could actually help the offenders in reintegrating themselves to the rest of the society. Chemical treatment, albeit underdeveloped is one of the means to accomplish such treatment.Chemical Treatment as a Viable Option for Treating Criminal Offenders Fishbein explored the neurological and biological sources of deviance, particularly violence. In fact, the research of Fishbein pointed out to the role of alcohol, drugs and other substances that enable individuals to alter their behaviors and induce violence.
The assumption is that the behavior of individuals can be altered by various substances. If these substances can alter a person’s behavior and induce violence, then chemical substances can also help induce the tendency of offenders for violence.Fishbein’s idea is that science, specifically biology, chemistry and genetics can be enhanced, improved and used for improving the behavior of individuals. Criminal offenders may also feel that they do not have the power and the will to change. Hence, they need help in avoiding violence.
Fishbein, however, does not discount the role of environment in treating criminal offenders and helping them move away from deviant behavior. Yet, she says that conditioning behavior through the environment can be greatly enhanced using chemical treatment in a controlled setting.As they reintegrate themselves into the society, chemical treatment can also help them avoid situations where they might have to resort to violence. The danger perhaps to Fishbein’s arguments is the ensuing chemical dependence that might be experienced by the criminal dependents who are being treated chemically. Anderson and the Role of Environment Anderson’s (1994) analysis, however, is that the role of environment is more salient than the role of genetics and biology in the emergence of violence and deviant behaviors.He pointed out to hopelessness, alienation and rage that result from poverty, racism and lack of opportunities that they face.
There are places in the society that can become “factories” of violence because of the way that they perceive their social situation. To reduce violence, therefore, and treat criminal offenders, what is needed is to address these situations that the lead to violence. He pointed out the existence of a vicious cycle that unless broken will lead people in the streets to feel depressed, alienated and disenfranchised.If they are empowered to deal with their economic situations and they can surmount the feelings of depression and alienation they feel, they can become productive members of the society and they can avoid a life of violence.
The root causes of violence, aggression and deviant behavior is a confluence of factors—genetics and environment. Hence, the right intervention strategies would be to address the situations in the environment that give rise to violence and aggression. The role of genetics, while important, seems to be less fixed in precipitating behavioral change.
