1

Lead-Crime Hypothesis Analysis

Name

Institution

Course

Instructor

Date
 2

Lead-Crime Hypothesis Analysis

The "lead-crime theory" claims that toxic lead exposure during childhood is a

substantial factor in adult criminal conduct. It had been circulating among academics for a

long time before being brought to the general public's attention in 2013 by an article in

Mother Jones.

If the lead-crime hypothesis is true, it means the country's crime rate differed with the

ways leaded gasoline affected different places in different ways and at different times, hence

concluding that lead shifting exposure patterns correspond to changes in crime rate. Lead can

cause adverse effects, more so to developing children; however, one would deny that lead

impacts criminal behaviour. Nevertheless, the question is, in what ways? For example, when

considering policy change on crime, differences in lead trends cannot be matched with crime

trends within a country. Hence one must consider other external factors such as poverty,

drugs, demographics, etc., that result in a crime.

We should put something into effect if we know it is a good policy. Improvements in

criminal justice frequently only benefit future defendants. We should, nevertheless, follow

the reform if it is the right policy. Current inmates should be allowed to petition judges for

the retroactive adoption of the two reforms described below on a case-by-case basis.

Reduce the number of people in prison for minor offences. When someone breaks the law,

the default criminal justice consequence is frequently prison. Prison is not only unfair to

those who commit low-level crimes like drug possession, petty theft, or marijuana sales.

Someone should be punished if they commit a significant crime, such as robbery. However,

there is little evidence that incarceration for such extended periods as the 20 or 30-year

sentences already in place can help offenders recover.

We learn that while there is considerable evidence that genetics have a role in

developing violent and aggressive behaviour, environmental factors such as lead exposure
 3

have recently received increasing attention. Although there is anecdotal evidence that a link

between lead exposure and behaviour extends back millennia, direct data are lacking.