Richard J. Herrnstein

Richard J. Herrnstein argues in the following viewpoint that while environment may influence criminality, so, too, do genetic factors. Studies show that adopted children with a biological parent who is a criminal have an increased risk of engaging in criminal behavior. Furthermore, Herrnstein asserts, other studies have found that certain genetic physical traits, such as gender, muscularity, and an extra Y chromosome, also increase the risk of criminality. Therefore, he argues, it is irrefutable that criminal behavior has a genetic source. The late Herrnstein was the Edgar Pierce Professor of Psychology at Harvard University and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is also the coauthor of Crime and Human Nature and of The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in America.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What are criminogenic traits, according...