Criminal behavior and r/k selection: An extension of gene‐based evolutionary theory

Abstract

An r‐selected approach to reproduction emphasizes producing large numbers of offspring with minimal care given to each offspring by its parents. At the other end of the continuum, K—selection is an approach in which few offspring are produced, but maximal care is taken to insure reproductive viability of each offspring. This article argues that several heretofore seemingly unrelated factors which have been found associated with serious victimful criminal behavior (i.e., serious violent and property offenses) in numerous countries are predictable by hypothesizing that criminal behavior is part of an r‐selected approach to reproduction.