PRISON SURVEY FOR THE XYY KARYOTYPE IN TALL INMATES

• NCJ Number: 57141
• Journal: BEHAVIOR GENETICS Volume: 3 Issue: 1 Dated: (MARCH 1973) Pages: 97-100
• Author(s): W H FINLEY; C E MCDANAL; S C FINLEY; C J ROSECRANS
• Date Published: 1973
• Length: 4 pages
• Grant Number(s): MH16828-01; HD0102; FR 5349; FR 0530
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Health, Education, and Welfare
• Corporate Author: Plenum Publishing Corp
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

TALL PRISONERS IN TWO ALABAMA PRISONS WERE EXAMINED CYTOGENETICALLY TO DETERMINE THE INCIDENCE OF XYY CHROMOSOME INDIVIDUALS IN THE SAMPLE AND IDENTIFY POSSIBLE CONSISTENCIES IN TYPE OF OFFENSES BY XYY'S.

Abstract

ONE OF THE MAXIMUM SECURITY PRISONS WITH A PREDOMINANTLY CAUCASIAN POPULATION HAD 100 INMATES OVER 6 FEET TALL WHILE THE SECOND MAXIMUM SECURITY PRISON HAD 112 BLACK INMATES WHO WERE 6 FEET OR TALLER. CULTURES FROM PERIPHERAL BLOOD SAMPLES OBTAINED FROM THE PRISONERS REVEALED THAT TWO PRISONERS IN THE FIRST SAMPLE OF 100 PRISONERS HAD 47 CHROMOSOMES WITH 6 SMALL ACROCENTRICS AND A KARYOTYPE INTERPRETATION OF 47,XYY. NO XYY'S WERE IDENTIFIED IN THE SECOND SAMPLE. CONVICTIONS WERE NUMEROUS FOR EACH XYY PRISONER, WITH ROBBERY, BURGLARY, AND AUTOMOBILE THEFT BEING THE MOST COMMON OFFENSES. PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATION INDICATED INTELLIGENCE QUOTIENTS OF 105 AND 108 FOR THE XYY'S. THE FINDING OF THE XYY KARYOTYPE IN 2 PERCENT OF THE CAUCASIAN PRISON POPULATION OF TALL INMATES IN A MAXIMUM SECURITY PRISON AND THE ABSENCE OF THE KARYOTYPE IN ANY OF THE BLACK INMATES OF A MAXIMUM SECURITY PRISON MAY BE COINCIDENTAL BUT SUGGESTS THE NEED FOR FURTHER RESEARCH. THE PHENOTYPES OF THE XYY INDIVIDUALS VARY GREATLY AND DO NOT ALLOW CLINICAL RECOGNITION. REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (DAG)