Inside the brain of Dylann Roof

Most of America has been trying to make sense of what happened at the church in Charleston, South Carolina, last week. As we all know, the killings happened during Bible study, and the shooter actually sat with the people he killed while Bible study was taking place.

There has been much analysis as to why the alleged killer, Dylann Roof, killed these people. There've been many back-and-forth arguments about his use of drugs, both prescribed and not prescribed – including the drug Suboxone.

There has been talk about his playing of video games and about two relatively minor brushes with the law. Some Internet sleuths found his "manifesto." Too much of it is really too scary to put in this opinion piece, but one paragraph in it summarizes his complete disregard for African-Americans.

He says, "Segregation was not a bad thing. It was a defensive measure. Segregation did not exist to hold back Negroes. It existed to protect us from them. And I mean that in multiple ways. Not only did it protect us from having to interact with them, and from being physically harmed by them, but it protected us from being brought down to their level. Integration has done nothing but bring whites down to level of brute animals. The best example of this is obviously our school system."

What we also know about Dylann Roof is that he did not graduate from high school and that he had two prior arrests, one for trespassing and another for possessing drugs.

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I have written about violence and people who commit it in this column, especially about the findings of psychologist Adrian Raine, who wrote "The Anatomy of Violence, The Biological Roots of Crime." Raines discusses the genetics of violence as well as other predictors of violence, such as a low resting heart rate, as well as clear indications in the brains of criminals when they are an fMRI scanner.

Raine suggested in his book that males at age 18 undergo a blood test and a brain scan to look for signs and indications of possible future violent behavior. Although I do not agree with Dr. Raine of a wholesale examination of 18-year-old males, it might be sensible to examine young people who have been arrested and have a clear misuse of drug history or antisocial behavior. Would it be legal as an unwarranted search? Maybe, and the courts would need to decide.

If Dylann Roof turns out to be the killer either by trial or admission, looking at his "broken brain" as Dr. Raine calls it might teach us something about violent behavior.

There are other factors at work here as well. President Obama gave his views after the shootings and talked about the availability of guns. Clearly, the availability of guns is an issue. Yes, there are Second Amendment rights, but you can't have a dog or get married without a license. Should someone who is using illegal drugs and perhaps has a prescription to mitigate an addiction be able to purchase a gun? That is very iffy territory, to say the least.

There is the continuing debate about the effect of violent video games. Dr. Brad Bushman, quoting a study published in 2008, says (Polman 2008), "In this study, children were randomly assigned to play a violent video game or watch someone else play it. There was also a nonviolent video game control condition. The results showed that boys who played a violent video game were more aggressive afterwards than were boys who merely watched."

The other problem is simply the daily amount of violence that is part of the television/Internet diet. In the early '70s, Washington politicians were concerned that pornography was no longer in each city's "combat zone" or "red-light" district but was available at the local video store. Now, it can be seen in the convenience and non-embarrassment of your own home. The same is true for violence. It can be found on television and the many channels available at the quick movement of your fingers. It can be found by searching the Internet. All of this is available by just moving your fingers.

Juxtaposed to the killings in Charleston was a report this week on the work of Frank Fenner, which says human beings might be extinct within 100 years. I am certainly not sure of the science behind that prediction, but just like the extinct warning, we need to use our best knowledge on violence and put preventive strategies into action. More mass shootings will take place if we don't.

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