A criminologist has come up with a test that they believe can predict future violent behavior. Their procedure involves having subjects sit in front of a computer screen in order to watch images, some peaceful and placid and others extremely violent, and then the subjects are asked to respond to a battery of questions. The test not only quantifies the substance of the answers but also the time it takes to respond. Research validating the procedure indicates that people who are violence prone are able to answer much faster than the nonviolent, especially when the images depict aggression and bloodshed. When used with samples of adolescents, the procedure has been able to distinguish the violence prone with 75 percent accuracy. The criminologist who devised the procedure believes it can help reduce violence rates if children could be tested and those identified as violence prone are carefully monitored by teachers and social service professionals. Those at risk for future violence could be put into special programs as a precaution. Although the program seems worthy of consideration, a number of important ethical issues must still be addressed:
- Is it fair or ethical to label people as potentially criminal and violent, even though they have not yet exhibited any antisocial behavior?
- Is there a chance of self-fulfilling prophecy—kids labeled as potentially violent become violent because of the stigma they now carry?
- Do the risks of such a procedure outweigh its benefits?