Abstract
The mid-20th century saw a boom of scientific discoveries in genetics as people sought to understand the American political landscape through genomes. The desire to understand criminality through genetics rose as counterculture surged. The genetic defect known as “XYY syndrome” became connected to criminality through biased medical studies and sensationalized criminal cases worldwide. When the National Institute of Mental Health began to fund studies attempting to prove a link between XYY syndrome and criminality, organizations concerned with scientific justice took notice. The leftist organization Science for the People campaigned against an XYY study in Boston, deeming it unethical and biologically deterministic. Science for the People’s campaigns against the Boston study gained public attention, leading to enough advocacy to halt the study. Public outcry against the supposed correlation between XYY syndrome and criminality, led by Science for the People, reshaped the debates surrounding genetic links to criminality.
Recommended Citation
Rice, Fern. "XYY: Why? Science for the People and the XYY Controversy." The Purdue Historian 12, 1 (2025). https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/puhistorian/vol12/iss1/2
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