NCJ Number
58719
Journal
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CRIMINOLOGY AND PENOLOGY Volume: 1 Issue: 1 Dated: (FEBRUARY 1973) Pages: 31-45
Date Published
1973
Length
15 pages
Annotation
TO ASSESS THE GENETIC INHERITANCE OF CRIMINALITY, A COMPARISON OF MONOZYGOTIC (MZ) AND DIZYGOTIC (DZ) TWINS FROM DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTS IS MADE, BASED ON A STUDY OF A DANISH TWIN SAMPLE.
Abstract
THE DANISH STUDY CONSISTED OF 3576 TWIN PAIRS FROM THE DANISH TWIN REGISTER, BORN ON THE DANISH ISLAND BETWEEN 1881 AND 1910. IN THIS STUDY AS IN EARLIER STUDIES, THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER CONCORDANCE RATE AMONG MZ THAN AMONG DZ TWINS. THE LOWER CONCORDANCE RATE IN THE DANISH INVESTIGATION FOR BOTH MZ AND DZ PAIRS MUST, FOR THE PRESENT, BE ASSUMED TO ARISE FROM THE COMPLETENESS OF THE MATERIAL. THE DANISH MATERIAL IS ALSO COMPLETE IN THE SENSE THAT IT COMPRISES NOT ONLY CONCORDANT AND DISCORDANT PAIRS BUT ALSO NEGATIVELY CONCORDANT PAIRS, THAT IS PAIRS IN WHICH NEITHER OF THE TWINS HAVE BEEN REGISTERED FOR ANY OFFENSE. THE REGIONAL MOBILITY OF THE TWINS WAS CHOSEN AS THE ENVIRONMENTAL VARIABLE. THE STUDY INVESTIGATED BOTH THE BIRTH PLACE AND FINAL RESIDENCE OF THE TWINS. CONCLUSIONS DRAWN WERE THAT AMONG MEN, THE TWINSHIP INFLUENCES MZ MORE STRONGLY THAN DZ TWINS TOWARDS CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR. ALSO, THIS INFLUENCE IS GREATEST IN RURAL AREAS AND LEAST IN THE MORE HEAVILY URBAN AREAS. DISTINCT DIFFERENCES IN MOBILITY APPEARED BETWEEN NONCRIMINAL AND CRIMINAL MZ TWINS. AMONG THE DZ TWINS, THE VARIATIONS WERE MORE ACCIDENTAL AND FEWER. THERE WERE SIGNIFICANTLY FEWER TWINS WHO WERE ENVIRONMENTALLY STABLE AMONG THE CRIMINAL THAN AMONG THE NONCRIMINAL MONOZYGOTES, BUT THE DIRECTION OF THEIR MOVEMENT WAS MOST OFTEN TOWARDS LESS URBAN AREAS. THE STUDY SHOWED THAT CONCORDANCE ACTUALLY DOES VARY WITH VARYING GEOGRAPHIC MILIEU AND VARYING MOBILITY. MOREOVER, IT CONFIRMS PREVIOUS STUDIES THAT FOUND CRIMINAL CONCORDANCE TO BE DEPENDENT NOT ONLY UPON ZYGOSITY, BUT ALSO, AND TO A HIGH DEGREE, UPON THE ENVIRONMENT OF THE TWINS. ON THE OTHER HAND, ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT THE DIRECTION OF MOBILITY WERE CLEARLY CONTRADICTED. TABULAR DATA, AND NOTES AND REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (MJW)