Running head: A BORN CRIMINAL

A Born Criminal: Matthew Handlang

Mackenzie Peterson
Professor Walton-Nealy
CCJ 2000
Tallahassee Community College

A BORN CRIMINAL

2
Abstract

Criminality is decided before birth in a concept known as trait theory. Trait theory says that your
personality determines how you will behave in life including whether or not you will become a
criminal. A man named Matthew Handlang was charged with the death of his daughter by child
abuse. Matthew Handlang suffers from a number of mental disorders including mild retardation
and borderline personality disorder. These disorders, in his nature from birth, caused him to
commit crimes in his life including the death of his daughter. Neurophysiological trait theories
show that Handlang did this because his mental illness kept him from controlling his behavior.
Psychodynamic trait theories say that the psychosis created by his more severe mental disorders
kept him from knowing the difference between right and wrong.

A BORN CRIMINAL

Many criminologists strongly believe in the concept that criminals are created through the
circumstances of their life. Whether this be through childhood abuse, environmental causes or
drug use, they believe that criminals are created through their lifetime. However, in reality,
criminality is encoded into a person's being. This means that before a person is even born, it is
already set in stone whether or not they will be a criminal. This idea that a person's
predisposition to be a criminal is inherited is known as trait theory. In January of 2014, a man in
Springfield, Missouri named Matthew Ethan Handlang was charged with child abuse resulting in
death. Police had been called to his home on December 19th of 2013 and told that Handlang's
three month old daughter Aubrey had stopped breathing during a feeding. She passed away two
days after being taken to the hospital. Once the autopsy was conducted, evidence of brain, spinal
cord and eye injuries were revealed. This evidence is consistent with the fact that Aubrey did not
die in the manner police had thought but had, in fact, been shaken to death. Handlang admitted
that he had grown frustrated when Aubrey was fussing while he changed her diaper and, when
she wouldn't stop, shook her to death. His reasoning for not admitting the truth to begin with was
that he already had a criminal record and didn't want to go to prison. In February of 2014, it was
reported that Handlang suffered from multiple mental illnesses including bipolar disorder,
borderline personality disorder, major depressive disorder, mild retardation, and antisocial
personality disorder. Trait theory points out that due to his mental illnesses, he was predestined to
commit these crimes. These mental illnesses are proof of his neurophysiological inclinations
toward crime. It could also be claimed that these are psychodynamic causes of crime. Before he
was born, it was in his nature to become a criminal. His previous crimes and eventual abuse of
his daughter over something as simple and as common as an infant being fussy shows his
criminal nature.

A BORN CRIMINAL

Some criminologists focus their studies on the neurophysiology of crime (Siegal, 2013,
pg. 148). This means that they study the brain activity associated with committing crimes.
Matthew Handlang would be one of the cases these criminologists would study. His wide variety
of mental illnesses would be a plethora of data to show that criminality is indeed decided before
birth. Handlang's mild retardation and antisocial personality disorder could cause problems with
his self-control and impulsivity (Siegal, 2013, pg. 149). Due to this, he may not have had the
state of mind to keep himself from acting so rashly and shaking his daughter.
Psychodynamic theory focuses on the psychological factors involved in crime. Due to his
depression and borderline personality disorder, there is a possibility that Handlang didn't realize
at the time that what he was doing was wrong. People with severe mental disorders that result in
psychosis sometimes have little to no insight into their actions (Siegal, 2013, pg. 159). Due to his
psychosis, he may have thought his response was perfectly logical.
It is obvious that criminality is determined well before birth. Criminals would not commit
crimes if it wasnt in their nature to commit such crimes. Matthew Handlang, who murdered his
daughter, would not have done so unless it was within his nature to do so. Criminologists who
focus on the neurophysiological causes of criminality would look at Handlangs multiple mental
disorders that would affect his ability to control his own actions. Psychodynamic theorists would
study Handlangs more severe disorders such as his borderline personality disorder which would
blur Handlangs understanding of right and wrong. Either way, Matthew Handlang is a criminal
brought into this world at birth.

A BORN CRIMINAL

5
References

Siegel, L. J. (2013). Criminology: theories, patterns, and typologies (11th ed.). Belmont, CA:
Wadsworth Cengage Learning.