2.1 biological theories and treatment Flashcards
name 3 biological theories of crime
Lombroso, Sheldon and XYY
what are the symptoms of Lombroso theory?
atavistic features, reduce pain levels, prominent jaw, eyebrow ridges, a large, protruding ears 
What was Lombroso study?
Study over 4000 living and dead, criminals, facial and cranium features 
how many criminals did Lombroso’s theory prove?
40%
What are the positives and negative of Lombroso’s theory?
Positives:
he was the first person to study crime scientifically
Prove 40% of criminals
Negative:
Only studied men
Not everyone with atavistic features is criminal 
what was Sheldons theory?
He studied stomata types
What were the three stone after types and what was the most likely to be criminal?
endomorphic, ectomorphic and metamorphic
Metamorphic was most likely to be criminal 
And what was Sheldons study?
he studied 4000 scantily, clad women, some college students and delinquents
What was Jacobs XYY theory?
that you could be born with extra Chromosome, which would give you super male syndrome
what are the symptoms of Jacobs XYY theory?
Very tall and well built, low intelligence, history of aggression and violence
Who is an example of Jacob theory?
John Wayne, Gacy
He was a victim of XYY and sexually assaulted, 33 men in USA
What was the evaluation of Jacob’s theory?
positives:
He showed a significant number of offenders had XYY
He had supporting evidence
Negative:
Doesn’t explain why people commit crimes without XYY
Doesn’t explain women
No other social factors were taken into account
what was 4 biological treatments?
Drugs, diet, surgery and eugenics
Sheldons evaluation, strengths and weaknesses:
strengths:
had a large control group
supporting evidence
weaknesses:
only applied to men
ethically questionable
does not look at other factors such as social or economic factors
how many out of a 1000 had the super male syndrome
15
