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The surprising connection between brain injuries and crime | Kim Gorgens

Here’s a shocking statistic: 50 to 80 percent of people in the criminal justice system in the US have had a traumatic brain injury. In the general public, that number is less than five percent. Neuropsychologist Kim Gorgens shares her research into the connection between brain trauma and the behaviors that keep people in the…

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Here’s a shocking statistic: 50 to 80 percent of people in the criminal justice system in the US have had a traumatic brain injury. In the general public, that number is less than five percent. Neuropsychologist Kim Gorgens shares her research into the connection between brain trauma and the behaviors that keep people in the revolving door of criminal justice — and some ways to make the system more effective and safer for everyone.

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29 Comments

29 Comments

  1. Jim Quinn

    May 18, 2019 at 3:00 pm

    I think that a life of crime is more easily caused by culture than brain injury.

    • John x

      May 20, 2019 at 12:37 pm

      Yes, poor home life and crummy neighborhoods, influences.

  2. Elliot

    May 18, 2019 at 4:21 pm

    You make a great job

  3. hemant kumar

    May 18, 2019 at 6:22 pm

    What about other way round… peoples with impulse control or antisocial personality,someone of whom are already criminal and engage in physical voilence causing TBI … definitely tbi causes some irreversible organic changes leading to voilent behaviour but other way round is quite apt.

    • L

      May 21, 2019 at 4:35 pm

      possible. and the anti social and criminal tendency might come from how they are born, brought up and their genes.

  4. franklanguage

    May 18, 2019 at 9:22 pm

    I’m so happy you’re speaking on this topic; back in 1981 I sustained a TBI, and while I didn’t go on to a life of crime—beyond a few incidents of civil disobedience—I have to say the misunderstanding of my condition has caused me no end of problems—impulsivity and depression among them. People have often asked me, “Why are you the way you are?” and I have no answer.

    Agitation is a huge problem with brain injuries; it was with mine. So glad you addressed this.

  5. michaelrose93

    May 19, 2019 at 12:20 am

    So, assuming you are correct, then why do black males suffer such a disproportionate amount of TBI’s?

  6. dots *

    May 19, 2019 at 2:20 am

    Why can’t people who do Ted talks talk like normal human beings? They always have the same cadence. Are they forced to talk like that by the people who run these? Just sayin’.

    • John x

      May 20, 2019 at 12:46 pm

      Yes! I’ve noticed that too and it bothers me. It has an elitist quality about it. A “listen to me, for I am an authority figure and am not to be questioned” tone. I like science and respect it greatly, but scholarly people can’t possibly speak with exactly the same cadence. I’d like TED Talks that much more if the people were more like people and not Authority Gods in their demeanor.

    • dots *

      May 20, 2019 at 3:09 pm

      +John x You can gather a lot of information from how someone speaks. Not just about the person but what they are talking about. They all talk like robots programmed with the same cadence. When it is delivered over and over again by different people in a same cadence it starts to sound robotic and becomes less interesting, a little less trustworthy and generally kind of annoying.

  7. Mojos Bigstick

    May 19, 2019 at 10:43 am

    We’re raised to believe ‘can’t means won’t’.   Just dropping that un-human idea would make a difference.

  8. Russell Williams

    May 19, 2019 at 12:14 pm

    Not once did she mention the victims of these people’s crimes….

  9. Russell Williams

    May 19, 2019 at 12:23 pm

    Here’s the classic liberal agenda, find isolated examples, exploit it emotionally, weaponize sentiments for anyone that disagrees with them, then underhandedly apply it to the general population to serve their interest. The prison population needs hard labor whether it’s forced or not like no other population in the world…. If you disagree with me you’re an ignorant self righteous piece of s***. but none of this matters because it is written that self-righteous liberal idiots will win the day for their time… And then comes the end…..

  10. Tangaeng Phsihoze

    May 19, 2019 at 12:56 pm

    This literally reminds me the Chris Benoit severe crime, the diving headbutt affected his brain so far

  11. Art Nickel

    May 19, 2019 at 4:39 pm

    Don’t stop!
    Need to address gang initiations

  12. JustOneAsbesto

    May 19, 2019 at 6:53 pm

    How is it in away surprising? We’ve had strong evidence of it for over 100 years.

  13. Mike C

    May 20, 2019 at 1:05 am

    I think most people in government were dropped on their heads.

  14. B Welkinator

    May 20, 2019 at 1:43 am

    Figures lie … and liars use figures… just sayin’

  15. Censored One

    May 20, 2019 at 5:14 am

    See you mean to tell me that the only way you can have a traumatic brain injury is if you go to the hospital after the fact can you have a traumatic brain injury and not receive medical attention and live?

  16. RiversTheName

    May 20, 2019 at 6:11 am

    I think we need a tedtalk about taking psychedelics with other people and the transference of psychology that goes on

  17. Sven Bodali

    May 20, 2019 at 11:10 am

    30%

  18. John x

    May 20, 2019 at 12:32 pm

    The prison industrial complex will no doubt refute such science as it stands to lose billions. I would like to have seen more studies upon studies supporting the connection between TBI and getting locked up in this talk. The speaker seemed to jump rather quickly from the assertion to solutions.

  19. MAURICIO ALDANA

    May 20, 2019 at 12:53 pm

    What a beautiful example of empathy! Great work, Kim!

  20. KING NINE VILLAGE IDIOT NEWS 3.14

    May 20, 2019 at 4:18 pm

    *#BlueISIS** a.k.a. **#TheBlueTreason** don’t care*

  21. Raw Bacon

    May 20, 2019 at 6:27 pm

    *Crackpot*

  22. Dana Das

    May 22, 2019 at 2:30 am

    I love those talking

  23. fakkedd

    May 22, 2019 at 2:33 am

    I had a TDI 11 years ago, and spent a year in a blind rage with no control over my emotions. My wife risked her own sanity to bring me back, and without her love and support I have no doubt I’d be in jail or homeless. I carry a voice recorder and take notes of what I really need to remember. The hardest thing I ever did was fight to regain control over my emotions, as for helping my memory I went back to college to get a civil engineering diploma

  24. Nancy Chace

    May 22, 2019 at 4:06 am

    Very good presentation. I would respectfully submit that this could go beyond physical trauma. Is it possible the brain can also be traumatized by significant drug use? Also I see a link with the emotional side of trauma. When it is unresolved we tend to get stuck in the “revolving door” – it tends to come back to haunt us. All these things are linked. I believe similarities are also seen with respect to PTSD.

  25. Oldold Pilgrim

    May 23, 2019 at 6:43 am

    Famous killers Charles Starkweather and Richard Hickock had head injuries. There have been many more.

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