This brief bibliographical review analyzes the genetic basis of violence. The definition of Antisocial Psychopathic Personality includes criminal behavior; however, not all crimes are the result of a dysfunctional personality. Since the transgression of a law is a legal construct, the idea of its being a psychiatric category is rejected. We review studies of monozygotic and dizygotic twins, and analyze the influence of adoption and the role of the family in the twins' behavior. All these studies indicate that heredity is a significant factor in violent behavior. Some important scientific investigators propose a clear differentiation between offenders whose violent behavior begins during adolescence and can be rehabilitated, and recidivists whose aggressiveness first manifests itself in early childhood. We also discuss the defects found in several genes that have been found to be associated with aggressive behavior in research with both humans and animals. Finally, we emphasize that there is not a specific violence gene, but that aggressive behavior is always the result of the interplay between heredity and the social environment