3.2 Flashcards
what are the strengths of lombrosso’s born criminal theory
1st person to study crime scientifically by using objective measures to gather evidence
showed importance of examining clinical and historical records of criminality
later in research - looked at social and environmental factors not just hereditary
argued that offenders were not freely choosing to commit crime and focused on how to prevent further crime
what are the weaknesses of lombrosso’s born criminal theory
research failed to show a link between facial feautures and criminality
didnt compare findings of prisoners with a control group , if he did he may of found similar charchteristics in general population
described criminals are primitive savages - racism
what are the strengths of sheldons somatotypes theory ?
other studies have replicated his findings - glueck and glueck found 60% of offenders in stidy were mesomorphs
most serious delinquents in his sample had the most extreme mesomorphic body shapes
what are the weaknesses of sheldons somatotypes theory
glueck and glueck - criminality was best explained by a combination of bio , psych and envi factors
criminality may cause body types not other way around
working class men are most likely t do manual jobs so have mesomorphic build
can cause labeling and then lead to a self fullfilling prophecy
doesnta ccount for endomorphs and ectomorphs who commit crimes
doesnt explain whether mesomorphs commit non violent crimes
what are the strengths of twin studies ?
logical to examine whether their offending behaviour is identical as they themselves are genticlly identical
gives support yo genetic eplantations ishikawa and raine found highe concordance rate for MZ
what are the limitations of twin studies
if genes were only cause then the concordance rate would be 100%
higher concordance between identical could be becuase they share environmental factors
impossible to measure effect of genes separately from environmental effects
early studies so there is no way of knowing if twins were in fact genetically identical - as DNA testing did not exist
what are the strengths of adoption studies ?
overcomes problems in twin studies as it eliminates environmental factors
research design is logical as it allows us to see nature v nurture
gives some support fr gentuic explanations - adoptess are more likelyto have crim records if bio parents had crim records
what are the limitations of adoption studies
gottfredson and hirschi - adoption studies show genes have little effect on criminality
adoptees are placed in similar environments to birth familiy - similar environments may prodeuce similar behaviour
many children are not adopted immediately after birth - early environment may be true cause of their criminality
what are the strengths of jacobs xyy syndrome ?
jacob found an association between xyy syndrome and offenders for violent behaviour
price and whatmore - found some links between syndrome and property crime
what are the limitations of jacobs xyy sndrome ?
if some violent offenders have syndrome it doenst mean it is the cause of their violence
xyy males fit sterotypes of violent offenders which can lead to labeling . which can result in more likely to get prison sentences which may overstimate importance of syndome in relation to crime
xyy males are over represnted in prison becuase they have low intelligence (most likely to be caught) so samples are skewed
syndrome is very rare ( 1 in 1000 men have it ) cannot explain much crime
what are strengths of brain injuries and disorders as a explanation of criminality
few extreme cases that has led to major changes in personality and behavior
some correlation between abnormal eeg readings and psychopathic criminality
prisoners are more likely to have a brain injury than non prisoners
what are limitations of brain injuries and disorders as a explanation of criminality
crimes caused by this are rare , original personality is more important whether they engage in crime
not clear that abnormal eeg cause psychopathic criminality - some psychopathic have normal eeg and some non pyshcopathic have abnormal eeg
prsioners have a higher likelihood of brain injuries as a result of criminality rather than casuing it
what are the strengths of biochemical explanations ?
sexual hormones , blood suagr and substance abuse effect mood , judgeent and agression
testosterone leveles and male offending both peak around same age
alcahol produces dishinibition (lack of control)
biochemical factors are acknowledged by courts - law of infantcide - partial defence to murder
pmt accepted as a defence in shoplifting cases
limitations of biochemical explanations
biochemical processes may contribute to individuals offending but it is mainly down to an environmental trigger
testosterone levels decline with age
scamella and brain - testosterone levels do not greatly affect aggression levels
schalling- high testosterone in young males led to verbal aggression not physical
infantcide - due to isolation rather than hormones
