Essay questions

  
1. Psychological models for the explanation of behavior and specifically criminal behavior rely primarily upon things that are outside the control of the individual: developmental issues, psychological trauma, cognitive dysfunction, and a number of diagnosable and recognized mental illnesses.
 
Accepting any of these as true, what does that mean for the process of justice—especially for young offenders? Does the American legal system allow for special treatment for anyone accused of an offense who can also demonstrate diminished capacity due to medically recognized deficiencies? Following this logic, does that support the idea of a special courts system to handle juvenile offenses?
Your response must be at least 200 words in length.

2. Biological models for the explanation of behavior and, specifically, criminal behavior rely primarily on things that are outside of the control of the individual: genetics, brain physiology, IQ, endocrine system anomalies, and even some physical trauma.
 
Accepting any of these as true, what does that mean for the process of justice—especially for young offenders? Does the American legal system allow for special treatment for anyone accused of an offense who can also demonstrate diminished capacity because of medically recognized deficiencies? Following this logic, does that support the idea of a special courts system to handle juvenile offenses?
Your response must be at least 200 words in length.

3. What scientific proof exists that there is a biological contribution to behavior—specifically, criminal or deviant behavior? Identify three biological studies that have shown promise in providing a better understanding of human behavior and what evidence they have provided thus far. In your explanation, you may indicate that certain scientific theories have been abandoned or disproven.
Your response must be at least 75 words in length

4. Deterrence is a philosophy—not a theory—that assumes human behavior can be altered by some force and has with it several underlying assumptions that must be true about the human condition for the philosophy to be effective when converted to a policy. Identify three necessary conditions that need to be true about humans according to deterrence, and then evaluate whether or not they are true.
 
Your response must be at least 75 words in length.