Are criminals born or created that way? Can we blame it on a chemical imbalance in the brain? Did we simply not treat our children with the love and attention that they need for proper development? Or better yet, is it hereditary? 

August 2, 1993, Eric Smith, 13, murdered 4-year-old Derrick Robie. It was obvious that Smith seduced little Derrick to follow him into the shadows where he was strangled to death then beaten. It was he who decided to end the life of this four year old boy, and he did it in the most heinous way he could. He dug up a big rock, and another smaller sized rock. He then beat his lifeless body bloody. There are some responding officers that cannot get that brutal crime scene out of their heads because of the brutality of what they saw.

January 29, 1979, in San Diego, California, Brenda Spencer, 16, took her Christmas present, which had been a rifle, and shot 30 rounds in to the Grover Cleveland Elementary School directly across the street from which she resided. 8 youngsters in addition to one law enforcement officer were injured, and another 2 men were mortally wounded ensuring that the youngsters remained protected throughout the 6 hour standoff. When questioned afterwards why she did it, she responded with a shrug that “I don’t like Mondays.”

1986, Florida. Jeffrey Bailey, Jr .9, pushed an even more youthful friend of his (3 years old) in to the deep end of the motel swimming pool. He pulled up a lounge chair and sat there to observe him drown because he desired to see what and exactly how it occurred. He just watched as the boy sank to the bottom, once the youngster had finished drowning, he nonchalantly got up and proceeded to go home. When he was questioned, he demonstrated no sign of remorse nonetheless performed for the camera’s and engaged in being the center of attention. In regards to the homicide he was nonchalant.

November 3, 1998, Madelyn (Maddie) Clifton, 8 years of age, vanished. Her murderer, Joshua Earl Patrick Phillips’ (14) mother would discover her rotting 7 day old body at the rear of his water bed discretely concealed within the pedestal. Without any history of any physical violence, they had a hypothesis that this assault was in some way from irregular EEG’s or perhaps heart rhythms. If there were some connection and it could be established, there could have been a physiological reason behind his brutal behavior. This hypothesis for this in his defense never ever panned out. Because in the end, he just proceeded to go with his brains instructions, and had not a soul to blame but himself.

So, are criminals born or made? There are actually analysts who strongly believe violence is obviously the product of some type of physiological imbalances. Some say it’s almost entirely a matter of chemical interactions within the brain, although some believe that physiologies as well as the environment are interconnected. Experts believe that juvenile psychopathy is increasing at an alarming rate. In the above examples of children that have a character disturbance, they devalue all others and have a general lack or sense of morality.

Personality Disorders in these youths in the above examples are prevalent. They devalue other individuals and therefore are deficient of a sense of morality. These types of events as those detailed above are making it a lot more apparent that psychopathy isn’t solely an adult manifestation. With the study, these kids are thought to be “fledgling psychopaths” that will become progressively more dangerous as they age. Children might not develop into killers but they will learn how to deceive, manipulate and exploit others for his or her own gain. It’s generally believed that they’ve neglected to develop affectionate bonds that allow these kids to empathize with another’s suffering. What they’ve developed are characteristics of arrogance, lying, shamelessness, narcissism, and callousness.

Throughout the years, the medical diagnosis of psychopathy in older adults went through a perplexing conceptual evolution. Psychopaths have already been referred to as sociopaths, but they’ve recently been recognized to be a separate and distinctive group. An additional complicating issue is the development of detecting Anti-social Personality Disorder, on top of many different characteristics of a psychopath but it has crucial differences. It’s not at all astonishing then, that juvenile psychopathy, as well, has become inadequately defined, frequently confused with the numerous juvenile conduct disorders.

Given society’s fascination with shrinking the crime rate and with most all the recidivating criminals – the psychopaths - it is very important to determine whether childhood psychopathy is really a clear quantifiable manifestation. The salient question is whether we can single out such children and treat them before they become truly dangerous. Nevertheless you will find researchers who strongly believe that violence is a clear product of some sort of physiologic imbalance.  Some say it’s completely dependent on chemical interactions within the neural, while others believe physiology as well as the environment is interconnected.

The diagnosis and identification throughout the years of psychopathy in adults experienced a perplexing conceptual evolution. Psychopaths have been recognized as sociopaths, but they’ve been recognized as being a separate and unique group. An additional complicating aspect of it is the continuing development of a proper diagnosis of Antisocial Personality Disorder. This overlaps with numerous characteristics of the psychopath but additionally has some crucial differences. It’s certainly not at all shocking that juvenile psychopathy, has been inadequately defined and frequently confused with all the numerous conduct disorders that effect juveniles today.

Society has an affinity for decreasing the crime rate. Especially among chronic criminals with high recidivation rates, or psychopaths, it is very important to determine whether childhood psychopathy is really a clear measurable manifestation. The prominent concern here is whether or not we are able to single out such child and deal with them and treat them accordingly prior to them becoming truly dangerous.