AC2.1 Describe biological theories of criminality Flashcards
What are physiological theories?
- Lombroso’s theory 1976
- Sheldon’s somatotypes theory
Key points of Lombroso’s theory 1976
- He argued that criminals were physically different to non-criminals.
- Measured hundreds of faces and heads of prisoners.
Conclusions from Lombroso’s research data:
- Enormous jaws
- High cheekbones
- Handle shaped ears
- Prominent eyebrow arches
- Very long arms
- Large eye sockets
- Extremely acute eyesight
According to Lombroso:
- Different criminals have different facial features.
- An example: murders have aquiline noses, whereas thieves have flattened noses.
Atavism:
Relating to or characterized by reversion to something ancient or ancestral – Lombroso’s theory argues that criminals are atavistic.
- He thought that criminals were abnormal and non-criminals were normal.
- Lombroso saw criminality as Atavistic.
- This meant he believed criminals were physiologically similar primitive humans or humans in the earlier stage of evolution.
- Criminals are ‘pre-social’ and therefore not able to control their impulses.
- They would fit in with a more primitive society and be considered normal there.
- They have a reduced sensitivity to pain.
Born criminal:
Definition of criminal type:
Lombroso believed that you could tell if someone was a criminal by looking at their physical characteristics.
Physical attributes:
- A small skull
- Large eye sockets
- A sunken forehead
Psychological differences:
- Unfriendly
- Vain
- Selfish
Epileptic criminal:
Definition of criminal type:
They are lazy, animal-loving, destructive, and vain. He also said that they had suicidal tendencies and that, along with moral imbeciles, they were the only ones who tried to commit crimes with other people.
Physical attributes:
- They have epilepsy.
Psychological differences:
- Extremely affectionate
- Tend to feel extreme guilt after committing a crime.
Key points of Sheldon’s somatotypes theory:
- Sheldon, like Lombroso, argued that criminals were physically different to non-criminals.
- He focused on body types instead of facial features.
- He studied juvenile delinquents.
Ectomorph:
Body:
- Tall
- Slim
- Narrow shoulders
- Low muscle
- Mass percentage
Personality:
- Anxious
- Self-conscious
- Artistic
- Thoughtful
- Quiet and private
Crime:
- Suicidal tendencies
Endomorph:
Body:
- Curvy wide his
- Big bones
- Large fat percentage
Personality:
- Sociable
- Relaxed
- Comfortable
Crime:
- Mental health issues
Mesomorph (the criminals)
Body:
- High muscle percentage
- Strong limbs
- Broad shoulders
- Narrow waist
Personality:
- Adventurous
- Sensation seeking
- Assertive
- Domineering
- Enjoy physical activity
Crime:
- Mostly likely to do crime
Somatotypes:
- Mesomorph most likely to engage in crime.
- More likely to be attracted to risk-taking.
- Physic can be helpful in crime.
- Being assertive helpful for crime.
What are the genetic theories?
- Twin study
- Adoption study
- Jacob’s XYY syndrome
Key points of twin studies:
- Monozygotic twins (MZ) - identical twins (exactly the same genetics).
- Dizygotic twins (DZ) - non-identical twins (50% of the same genetics – like other siblings).
Study 1: Christiane’s study
- 3,586 twin pairs in Denmark.
- 52% concordance rate MZ twins when one is convict.
- 22% concordance rate in DZ twins.
Study 2: Ishikawa and Raine
- 44% MZ
- 21.6% DZ
Key points of adoption studies:
- Studies which compare adopted children to adoptive parents and biological parents.
- This gives us the change to compare the impact of genetics Vs. Environment.
- If a child’s behaviour is similar to their biological parents, then we can infer that this behaviour is genetic.
Evidence:
Mednick et al:
- 1924 to 1947 in Denmark.
- 14,000 adopted sons.
- Sons were more likely to have a criminal record if a birth parent also had a record (20%).
- This supports a genetic explanation.
- Found that a smaller proportion (14.7) had a criminal record if their adoptive parent had a criminal record.
- This supports genetic theory of criminology.
Hutchings and Mednick:
- Compared adoptees with and without criminal records.
- Found that adoptees with criminal records were more likely to have biological parents with criminal records than adoptees whose birth parents did not have criminal records.
Key points of Jacob’s XYY syndrome:
Chromosomes: a structure made of DNA and protein which found in the nucleus of cells.
- Chromosomes carry the genetic information we inherit from our parents e.g., the brown eye gene.
- The majority of people have 23 pairs of chromosomes.
- We inherit half of each pair from one parent.
- The final pair are the sex chromosomes – XX = Female – XY = Male.
- We inherit an X from our mother and an X or a Y from our fathers.
Super Male Syndrome: an extra Y chromosome:
- Tall
- Well built
- Low intelligence
Jacob et al’s Suggestions:
Argue they are more aggressive and potentially violent.
Labels:
- Tall structure
- Slightly feminised
- Low hairline/no baldness in front
- Poor beard growth
- Often loses chest hairs.
- Acene
- Long legs
- Increased risk of learning difficulties
Prince and Whatmore Study:
- Investigated imprisoned criminals including those in psychiatric hospitals.
- A higher-than-average proportion of inmates were found to have XYY syndrome (often with histories of aggression and violent assault).
- Prince and Whatmore found XYY males to be immature, unstable and they often committed seemingly motiveless property crime.
What are injuries and disorders?
- Sex hormones
- Blood sugar levels
- Substance abuse
- Other substance
