AC3.2 Evaluate Theories Flashcards
What’s are lombroso’s strengths
Goring supports his theory as he found a low order intelligence in convicts
He said criminals came out of prison worse than they entered
Research has shown that less attractive people are more likely to be considered criminal
What are lombroso’s weaknesses
Lack of control groups so no comparison could be made
Lack of accuracy due to people’s disfigurements
Not everyone with atavistic features are criminal and not all criminals have atavistic features
Racist aspect where the atavistic features are specific to people of African descent
What are Sheldon’s strengths?
He used a good sample size and he also had a control group to compare his results too
He did find that criminal groups were more mesomorphic
What are Sheldon’s weaknesses?
Could not explain why ectomorphs and endomorphs were criminal
Does not take into account people’s body types change all the time
Peer pressure based on people’s expectations of mesomorphs
What are the strengths of the XYY theory ?
Jacob found that a significant number of men in prison had the extra Y chromosome
Adler indicates that violent behaviour can be linked genetically
What are the weaknesses of the XYY theory ?
Found that genetic abnormalities are widespread so does not explain aggression
Doesn’t take into account the behaviourist approach ( social learning theory etc )
Research has found that the characteristic of aggression is not associated with the XYY abnormality
Twin study strengths
Natural experiments, the relationship between the twins are naturally occurring
Helped prevent vulnerable disorders
Twin study weaknesses
Early twin studies lacked control and validity as the twins were not separated into MZ or DZ twins by their DNA but their appearance
Small sample group so generalisation is hard
If twins are brought up in the same environment criminality could just be related to nurture
Adoption study strengths
Adopted children are exposed to different environments to their biological family , it is easier to separate genetic and environmental factors
There is a correlation between adopted children and their biological parents
Marxism strengths
Provides an explanation for crime that covers all social classes and a variety of offences
Highlights the impact of selective law enforcement and how white collar crime is under-policed
Shows how the law reflects differences in power between social classes also how inequality can lead to crime
Marxism weaknesses
Ignores non class inequalities such as gender and age
Not all working class people commit crime
Not all capitalist societies have high crime rates
Under estimates the amount of white collar crimes that are prosecuted
Labelling theory strengths
Shows how laws are often enforced in discriminatory ways
Highlights weaknesses in official statistics which allows bias law enforcement
Highlights the role the media has in creating deviancy amplification and moral panics
Labelling theory weaknesses
Fails to explain why deviant behaviour happens in the first place
Ignores the victims
Criminals do not need a label to know they are doing something wrong
Labelling doesn’t always lead to self fulfilling prophecies ( internalising the label )
Right realism strengths
Stimulated a range of victim surveys and measures to be introduced
Offers a practical approach to tackling crime
Flood page et all supports the idea that single family homes can lead to criminality . Partially males from single parent or step parent homes were more likely to offend
Right realism weaknesses
Focus too much on young male and street crimes
Ignores wider structural causes of crime such as poverty
Ignores the increasing gap between rich and poor , creating resentment ( relative deprivation )
