Cover of The anatomy of violence
Read Time: ~8 hr

The anatomy of violence

by Adrian Raine (2013)

About this book

In this book a pioneering neurocriminologist introduces the latest biological research into the causes of, and potential cures for, criminal behavior. As a leading criminologist who specializes in the neuroscience behind criminal behavior, the author introduces a wide range of new scientific research into the origins and nature of violence and criminal behavior. He explains how impairments to areas of the brain that control our ability to experience fear, make decisions, and feel empathy can make us more likely to engage in criminal behavior. He applies this new understanding of the criminal mind to some of the most well-known criminals in history. And he clearly delineates the pressing considerations this research demands: What are the causes of violence? Can it be treated? And might it one day be stopped? Are some criminals born, not made? What causes violence and how can we treat it? This book introduces new ways of looking at these age-old questions. Drawing on the latest scientific research, the author explains what it reveals about the brains of murderers, psychopaths and serial killers. While once it was thought upbringing explained all, and subsequently explanations shifted to genetics, he goes to great pains to explain that anti-social behaviour is complex, and based on the interaction between genetics and the biological and social environment in which a person is raised. But the latest statistical evidence between certain types of biological and early behavioural warning signs is also very strong. Through a series of case studies of famous criminals, he shows how their criminal behaviour might be explained on the basis of these new scientific discoveries. But the conclusions point to a host of philosophical and moral issues. What are the implications for our criminal justice system? Should we condemn and punish individuals who have little or no control over their behaviour? Should we act preemptively with people who exhibit strong biological predispositions to becoming dangerous criminals? These are among the thorny issues we can no longer ignore as our understanding of criminal behaviour grows.

Setting / LocationNew York City
Story EraModern Era
Protagonist / CoreThe anatomy of violence Lead Character

Readers who enjoyed this also loved

Cover of The Devil and Sherlock Holmes

The Devil and Sherlock Holmes

Dėvid Grann

Acclaimed New Yorker writer and author of the breakout debut bestseller The Lost City of Z, David Grann offers a collection of spellbinding narrative journalism. Whether he's reporting on the infiltration of the murderous Aryan Brotherhood into the U.S. prison system, tracking down a chameleon con artist in Europe, or riding in a cyclone- tossed skiff with a scientist hunting the elusive giant squid, David Grann revels in telling stories that explore the nature of obsession and that piece together true and unforgettable mysteries. Each of the dozen stories in this collection reveals a hidden and often dangerous world and, like Into Thin Air and The Orchid Thief, pivots around the gravitational pull of obsession and the captivating personalities of those caught in its grip. There is the world's foremost expert on Sherlock Holmes who is found dead in mysterious circumstances; an arson sleuth trying to prove that a man about to be executed is innocent; and sandhogs racing to complete the brutally dangerous job of building New York City's water tunnels before the old system collapses. Throughout, Grann's hypnotic accounts display the power--and often the willful perversity--of the human spirit. Compulsively readable, The Devil and Sherlock Holmes is a brilliant mosaic of ambition, madness, passion, and folly.From the Hardcover edition.

Cover of St. Joseph's children

St. Joseph's children

Terry Ganey

Charles Hatcher, who murdered at least 16 people, not only killed, maimed and ruined the lives of his victims and their families, but was also responsible for the imprisonment of an innocent man. In his 37 years of crime, Hatcher became adept at manipulating the justice system, outwitting officials in several states.

Cover of Risk

Risk

Layla Skinns, Michael Scott, Tony Cox

"Recent events from the economic downturn to climate change mean that there has never been a better time to be thinking about and trying to better understand the concept of risk. In this book, prominent and eminent speakers from fields as diverse as statistics to classics, neuroscience to criminology, politics to astronomy, as well as speakers embedded in the media and in government have put their ideas down on paper in a series of essays that broaden our understanding of the meaning of risk. After twenty-five years, the prestigious Darwin College Lectures are one of the most popular public lecture series at the University of Cambridge. The risk lectures in 2010 were amongst the most popular yet and, in essay form, they make for a lively and engaging read for specialists and non-specialists alike"--

Cover of The piano teacher

The piano teacher

Robert K. Tanenbaum and Peter S. Greenberg

In October, 1966, Charles Yukl, a mild-mannered piano teacher, brutally strangled and sexually abused a young secretary who was his student. In August, 1974, he killed again after being released 9 years early, despite pleas from himself and the victim's family. (Google Books)

The anatomy of violence by Adrian Raine | Literally Just Books