Crime and heredity researcher rehabilitated after 25 years

Radio Netherlands Worldwide

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A Dutch criminologist who fled to Spain in the 1980s after being attacked over his controversial views on crime and heredity has been rehabilitated. The Dean of Leiden University's Law Faculty, Carel Stolker, told the university's Mare weekly that he visited the 76-year-old criminologist, Wouter Buikhuisen in Spain to apologise for the lack of support from the university over the past quarter century.

When Wouter Buikhuisen was appointed Professor of Criminology at Leiden in 1978, he proposed research into socio-biological aspects of criminal behaviour. Some of his fellow academics objected strongly. The proposals caused a furore in the media, with some columnists drawing parallels between Mr Buikhuisen's research and policies of eugenetics and extermination applied by the German Nazis in World War II.

Personal attacks
He was planning to integrate insights from neuropsychology, endocrinology and psychophysiology to explain criminal behaviour. "Links between crime and unemployment or low education are proven. But not all unemployed or low-educated people become criminals, so there must be more factors." The professor tried to continue his work at the Faculty of Law despite incessant criticism in the media and even vicious personal attacks. He told Mare,

"I tried to protect my family as well as I could, but still we got hate phone calls, threats saying We'll get you in the end, excrement being pushed through the letterbox... It went on for years."

Support in the academic world dwindled rapidly. "The governors of the university and administrators of the Law Faculty turned their backs on me. My research had become a liability. I called on the Royal Academy of Sciences because I felt that academic freedom was at stake, but nobody helped."

In 1988 Professor Buikhuisen gave up his research and became an antiques dealer in Spain.

Hoping for peace of mind
In February, Mr Buikhuisen said in an interview with Mare that the 25 years after his resignation from the university had been a dark period. "At my age, the only thing that counts is peace of mind. I'm still receiving mail from the university, and every time I open the envelope I hope it contains a sort of apology for that black period. If only they showed some recognition of having failed, it would make me very happy."

Research acceptable today
The Dean of Law told the university weekly, "The stain on the relation between our faculty and Mr Buikhuisen has been removed. The research he promoted at the time would be completely acceptable today. It's now clear we missed some opportunities in the past." Mr Stolker added, "At last we're no longer speaking about the Buikhuisen Affair. It's now Wouter Buikhuisen plain and simple."

Mr Buikhuisen has welcomed the rapprochement. "It was a pleasant meeting. I'm glad I can go and comfortably visit the Leiden Law Faculty. I'm very much looking forward to working with students next April." Leiden University invited Mr Buikhuisen to give a guest lecture at a criminology conference next year.

Wouter Buikhuisen in 2005 (Photo: KRO TV)
Professor Wouter Buikhuisen in the 1980s (ANP Photo)

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jasmin 20 November 2009 - 4:53pm / India

Not all is lost, Charles. I have worked in a jail here, as a health professional and interacted with them on emotional level, treating them with empathy and compassion, and motivating them with spiritual talks. Many other NGO's too did their bit, in their own way. And the results were there to see for all. Read the news below: 38 jail inmates get baptised > Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 2 > For the first time in Punjab, as many as 38 inmates undergoing imprisonment on an array of charges, ranging from murder to drug trafficking, were baptised today or made to partake ‘Amrit’ in the Amritsar Central Jail by a team of officials of the SGPC with the active assistance of the jail authorities. > > The inmates, including six women, lodged in the Amritsar Central Jails (1and 2) were not only baptised but they also vowed to lead a clean life in future by shunning any activities that could bring them disrepute or harm society. > The baptism exercise continued in the jail for over three hours between 1 pm and 4 pm. It took place in the presence of the entire jail staff, including Jail Superintendent G S Sidhu. > Interestingly, the “change of heart” of the alleged hardened criminals had started taking place over an year ago when these inmates had started praying in their barracks. “In fact, the inmates have been expressing their fervent wish to get themselves baptised for a long time. It has happened with their consent,” said Sidhu and Balbir Singh Beesla, Deputy Jail Superintendent. > Eight of the 38 inmates, baptised yesterday by a team of Paathis of the SGPC, came from the central jail (no.2). Most of them were undergoing imprisonment for gruesome crimes like murder or drug trafficking. >

Charles U. Farley 20 November 2009 - 4:15pm / U.S.A.

Criminal is as Criminal does!" [My Apologies to 'Forrest Gump'.] It's not about Black, or White, or "Flying-Purple-People-Eaters". It's not about Rich, Poor, or Middle-Class. It's about a group of creatures that are No-Darned-Good. Lock 'em away, Throw away the key, or Ship 'em to The Galaxy of Andromeda with Postage-Due. I don't care, but keep them out of my life. If you Slap-Happy, Suicidal-Liberals are so fond of them, and their rehabilitation, you can Live With 'Em. I give them to you ... Free, Gratis, and For-Nothing.

Anonymous 20 November 2009 - 2:16am

The great tragedy of Science-the slaying of a beautiful hypothesis by an ugly fact.

Anonymous 20 November 2009 - 1:33am

Of course you weigh factors like we all day do here; nothing new under the sun. We do not need any criminologist for that; mostly we do need psychologists and psychiatrists you find out what the mens rea is and why the actus reus took place. If one is a jurist one knows that.

Hiram 20 November 2009 - 1:52am

"We do not need any criminologist for that" but for some unknow reason the courts put a lot weight on criminologists and their research.

Anonymous 20 November 2009 - 1:07am

Yes there are many different types of crimes: 1) Inchoate crimes, like solicitation, attempt, conspiracy. 2) Crimes against the person: Homicide; non-homicide crimes: Assault, battery,rape,mayhem, false imprisonment,kidnapping. 3) Crimes against Habitation: Burglary, Arson. 4) Theft Crimes:larceny/larceny by trick, embezzlement, false pretenses, robbery and receiving property.5) Crimes against Property Interests: Forgery, uttering, extortion. Miscellaneous crimes: misprision, compounding breach of the peace, malicious mischief. Now let the criminologist tell why people commit those crimes. No one has showed up yet in our court room to tell why!.

Hiram 20 November 2009 - 1:25am

"No one has showed up yet in our court room to tell why!." .......Mainly because we are not in a court room and even if we were, we wouldn't get an awswer but just enough clinical information to persuade the jury and court to make a decision. Its all about reinforcers, punishments and rewards for doing specific behaviours and reinforcers, punishments, and rewards are not the same for every person. You do a crime by weighing the factors. i.e. rewards and punishments. Even a psycopathic personality commits crimes for a reward or punishment. If, you wait for someone in this court to tell you, then you got a long wait.

Anonymous 20 November 2009 - 12:43am

Everybody seems to be a potential murderer.I've never killed anyone,but I FREQUENTLY get satisfaction reading the obituary notices.

Hiram 20 November 2009 - 12:11am

"What does a criminologist know about it?"........He studies all the aspects of crimes and he then deduces why crimes take place. 1. Some criminal behaviours are learned and rewarded by either a positive or negative reinforcers. 2. Some people who commit crimes do it without knowing they have committed a crime. For an example, you and some of your friends might want to hike across Iraq and accidently enter into Iran accidently. Did you mean to cross the border on purpose and violate Iran's borders?. No, but you and your friends are still criminals 3. Some people have tumors on their brains and therefore do not realise their actions are criminals. 4. Criminologist need to study all aspects of crime in order to better understand why people intentionally violate socities laws. Just because governments makes criminal and civil laws doesn't make the laws morally right. For example, if Wilders could make it against the law for Muslim women to wear headscarves in public, he would make those women wearing them criminals if they violated the law. No, Muslin woman should ever take off her scarve in public no matter what the dictates. She would be better off in one of Wilders' jail then to comply to an immoral law. There are other examples but the headscarves will do.

Anonymous 19 November 2009 - 4:21pm

Crime and heredity? What does a criminologist know about it? This all too complicated and convoluted for the human mind to analyze and comprehend. Too many factors are involved, also psychological, sociological and socio-economical and environmental. Nazi Germany was "good" at condemning certain minorities and races as inferior and criminal, based on fake theories and prejudices.

jasmin 19 November 2009 - 2:50pm

Crime is an anti-social act done in a moment of fury and then for some it becomes a habit to break the law. I agree with Wouter Buikhuisen's observation that it could be hereditary. It isn't that a criminal father could have a criminal son, but that, in my observation, it is a racial trait, dominant in some and recessive in others. Since races tend to have similar religious and political idealogies, crime tends to be more in certain races. A prison has criminals from all races, backgrounds and religions, but you will find that some races have significant representation.It is due to the fact that they are more agressive,more reckless and least bothered about obeying the law of the land or worry about the consequences of their reckless acts. For example Jats in Punjab are a martial race, who migrated to Punjab during the Greek invasion of India from the western border. The other predominant races are the kshatriya Sikhs and Hindus brahmins. The difference in their genetic traits is reflected from the fact that the Jats are agressive, getting more into trouble with others and police, while the Hindus are timid, avoid confrontation and will get least into trouble. The Sikhs are bolder than the Hindus but less agressive than the Jats. Similar is the case with Muslims and Christians. Muslims are more agressive than Christians, though both get into trouble with the law. The recent global activities support what I have stated. So, Wouter Buikhuisen's study needs to be further evaluated, and we might find that violent gene that is making the world a violent place! And yes, my congratulations to Wouter Buikhuisen for getting back to his university as respected criminologist.