Violation of Article 19 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child: An analysis from a neurobiological point of view with regard to criminal behaviour
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26481/marble.2014.v5.213Abstract
Criminal behaviour, in the case of persons below the age of 18 called delinquency, is a concept stemming from the legal field, according to which a person shows “conduct that does not conform to the legal or moral standards of society” (Deliquency, n.d.). The notion of antisocial behaviour in psychopathology features similar characteristics described as “behaviour usually marked by aggression but representing transgressions against societal norms” (Smith & Stern, 1997, p. 383). Chakraborty et al. confirm that criminal behaviour is defined by law, and that it is thus not usable in biology. This leads to the use of the notion of antisocial behaviour instead and the investigation thereof by researchers. They identify three ways of defining antisocial behaviour: the first one would be an equation with criminal behaviour and delinquency, which were explained above. This, however, seems to be problematic because a definition thereof changes over time and from one legal system to another. A second possibility is to investigate Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) because it often involves the commission of criminal acts resulting from neglect of rights of fellow human beings. The third possible way of how to define antisocial behaviour is a focus on characteristics that are at risk for developing criminal behaviour, such as aggressiveness and impulsivity (Chakraborty et al., 2011, pp. 37-38). I am seeking to find out what is meant by holistic development from a neurobiological perspective and which consequences child maltreatment has on this development. In particular, I am focussing on criminal behaviour as a possible consequence. Hence, my research question states as follows: In how far does a violation of Article 19 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child lead to criminal behaviour?
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