Criminal Minds, Risky Brains: The scientific obsession with the ‘Born Criminal’—and why it’s wrong

In an early celebration of Brain Awareness Week, Neuroethics Canada is pleased to invite you to the

2026 Brain Awareness Week Distinguished Neuroethics Lecture
CRIMINAL MINDS, RISKY BRAINS: The Scientific Obsession With the ‘Born Criminal’ — and Why It’s Wrong

Oliver Rollins, PhD, Old Dominion Career Development Professor and Associate Professor of Science, Technology, and Society (STS), Massachusetts Institute of Technology

For more than a century, scientists have searched the brain for the origins of violent behavior. From early criminologists hunting for physical “marks” of criminality to today’s neuroscientists mapping risk and prediction, the idea of the “born criminal” has proven remarkably durable. This lecture explores why that idea persists—and why it continues to get both violence and society wrong. Drawing on the research from Dr. Rollins’ book, Conviction: The Making and Unmaking of the Violent Brain, he will discuss how modern neuroscience often recycles old assumptions about danger, race, and human nature under the banner of cutting edge science. Rather than revealing some biological truth of violence or crime, these efforts frequently reinforce social fears, shape unequal criminal justice policies, and obscure the broader conditions that produce harm. By unpacking the scientific fascination with “risky brains”, this lecture invites a deeper ethical conversation about what counts as brain evidence, whose lives become sites of neuroscientific investigation, and how neuroscience might (re)imagine its role in social responsibility, safety, and justice differently.