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"In most natural groupings, the higher one's intelligence, the less likely one is to commit criminal acts. Yet the unexpected results in this groundbreaking book show us that, at the extreme upper end of the scale, the immunity from crime that comes with intelligence tends to lose its potency. In the end, however, this reduced immunity stems not so much from this tiny group's intelligence as from its perhaps inevitable distance from ordinary mortals."—Travis Hirschi, author of Causes of Delinquency
"One of the widely acknowledged risk factors for offending is low IQ, but very little is known about offending by high IQ people. James Oleson challenges conventional wisdom by concluding that high IQ people self-report more offenses than matched controls but are more likely to avoid detection and punishment. His book includes many enlightening case histories and deserves to be read by all criminologists and psychologists."—David P. Farrington, Emeritus Professor of Psychological Criminology, Cambridge University
"This book is a fascinating and highly readable account of the criminal behavior of a group we rarely think about—the genius wrongdoer. I recommend it to anyone interested in or concerned with the criminal mind."—Joshua Dressler, Distinguished University Professor, Michael E. Moritz College of Law, The Ohio State University
"This is a fascinating multi-sample study of crime among individuals with very high IQ scores. Spanning the worlds of biosocial criminology, psychology, executive functioning, and true crime, Oleson crafts an accessible and fun look at criminal behavior among individuals who seemingly should not commit crime. The book is a must-read for criminologists and true crime aficionados alike."—Matt DeLisi, Iowa State University, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Criminal Justice
List of contents
List of Figures and Tables
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. Crime, Genius, and Criminal Genius
2. The Study
3. The Participants
4. The Off enses
5. Prosecution and Punishment
6. Explanations for High-IQ Crime
7. Discussion and Conclusion
Appendix A. Technical Appendix
Appendix B. Questionnaire
Appendix C. Interview Schedule
References
Index
About the author
James C. Oleson is Associate Professor of Criminology at the University of Auckland.
Summary
For years, criminologists have studied the relationship between crime and below-average intelligence, concluding that offenders possess IQ scores 8-10 points below those of non-offenders. This book provides empirical information about the self-reported crimes of people with genius-level IQ scores.
Additional text
"Criminal Genius provides a fascinating exploratory study into a very important and interesting topic. It challenges the conventional wisdom about the relationship between crime and IQ levels and makes astute observations about the relationship and areas for future research. I highly recommend this book to all interested in understanding criminal behavior in general and the relationship between crime and intelligence specifically."
