(2) There was little evidence for a genetic predisposition to crime.

In a telephone interview, Dr. Diggs said: "The N.I.H. cannot condone the unjustified leap to the conclusion that there is a genetic predisposition to crime.

He argued that the environment of the underclass neighborhoods, from eroded schools to fatherless families, can present young males with a powerful tide of negative self-judgment and a predisposition to crime and social hostility that he himself finds frightening now that he is back on the streets.

In an interview today, Dr. Maisha Hamilton Bennett, president of the Association of Black Psychologists, said the research into genetic predispositions to crime and the agenda of the conference were "a blatant form of stereotyping and racism," adding: "It is the control of people under the guise of mental health treatment.