Using a sample drawn from members of a high IQ society, college students, and prisoners, Criminal Genius demonstrates that high-IQ offenders-defined as individuals with an IQ score of 130 or higher-may commit more offenses than lower IQ individuals.

However, James Oleson’s Criminal Genius sheds light on the offenses-drawn from self-reports and interviews-committed by high-IQ individuals, a group understudied in the field of criminology. In fact, some have considered IQ among the most significant correlates of crime. That is, criminologists have found individuals with a below-average IQ are more likely to commit a criminal offense than higher-IQ individuals. Many criminologists have written about the relationship between intelligence and crime, often finding an inverse relationship between the two.

Publisher: Oakland, CA: University of California Press, 2016. CRIMINAL GENIUS: A PORTRAIT OF HIGH-IQ OFFENDERS