Week 3 Assignment - Paul Keller PDF

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Paul Keller Case Summary Q/A CJ 102...

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Week Three Assignment

Paul Keller Case Introduction to Criminology! 1.

As a defense attorney for the Keller case, could you make an argument for a biological basis to explain the criminality of Paul Keller?

2.

In your opinion, was Paul Keller "born" a psychopath? Why or why not?

3.

Given the early onset of antisocial behavior with Keller in childhood, should his parents have done anything different? Why or why not?

" No, I would separate the part of his behavior as a child and his obsession with fire. Rather than taking a biological perspective to explain the actions of Paul Keller, I would like to scrutinize his relationship with his parents, especially with the mother. After watching the video in detail, and being unable to dig more about the parents’ relationship with Keller, I have reason to believe that despite being perceived as a mischievous person by birth, Keller was formed into what he became. If you pay attention to the video, from early stages in his life, his parents perceived this kid as someone who would cause harm to people around him. His mother mentioned that he had no emotion or empathy towards others as a child.! " I have studied culture and human behavior for a while. It is said that a child is born a clean slate and the identity is formed by the family which has been proved. You will speak whatever language that is spoken around you and have similar morals with that of your family. The nuclear family is the unit which gives human beings the perception of who they are. This person, from childhood was treated as someone who would cause harm to those around him, someone dangerous. He was constantly being observed as a criminal and it’s almost like his parents were expecting him to do something wrong or something hurtful. This perception took a toll on young Paul and he became who he was.! " First, he was just a naughty kid with a hyperactivity disorder which was not a huge issue and could have been contained if dealt with differently. Then, he got obsessed with fire. It was an obsession with fire and not hurting people. His main goal was not to hurt people, although he did, but to put places on fire. This obsession combined with his parents treatment of him as a criminal is what I think was the basis of his criminality and not biological.! " So I think that his parents could have done things differently which would have kept Paul from becoming the person he was. My argument is not that the parents did

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Week Three Assignment not try or did not have the best interest of their child in mind but only that the way they approached the entire situation ended up becoming the reason of, and amplified with the passage of years, the criminal desire of Paul Keller.! 4.

As noted in the documentary, Paul Keller was sentenced to 107 years in prison. Do you agree with this sentence? Why or why not? If not, what sentence do you believe should have been imposed given the severity of the crimes?

" I believe that despite what was going on in Paul Keller’s head, his actions brought pain for a lot of people. Who Paul had become after all these years of being treated like a criminal, was exactly that. For the actions he committed, life without the possibility of parole would send out a much stronger message. ! 5.

Does the Paul Keller case serve as a good template for a criminal case that can defer to a biological basis to explain criminality? Explain.

" The Paul Keller case, to me, does not serve as a good template for a criminal case that can defer to a biological basis to explain criminality. I think Paul Keller was not born, in fact, made a criminal by his social environment and his interactions in his life. I am of the belief that biological theory does not explain adequately for me the actions that a person commit. Since crime itself is only a social construct and what will be regarded as criminal is only something that is commonly agreed upon morally by the society and will also differ from one society or culture to another, it is impossible to be biologically criminal. Laws have been ever changing, from slavery to alcohol to marijuana, we make our laws as human beings and therefore it is nothing but a social construct. Hence, I believe that criminal causality cannot be explained biologically.

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