Atavistic form

Question 1

What is the Atavistic form?

Answer 1

Lomboso argued that criminals were genetic throwbacks and were a primitive sub species that were different from non criminals.

Offenders lacked evolutionary development and could not adjust to the demands of civilised society and would then inevitably turn to crime.

Question 2

How do you identify the criminal sub species according to Lomboso

Answer 2

They would be identified by particular physiological characteristics which were linked to specific crimes , these were called atavistic characteristics which were mainly features of the face and head, this meant that according to Lombroso criminals were physically different from the rest of us .

They also had tattoos, unemployment and insensitivity to pain as characteristics

Question 3

Criminal characteristics

Answer 3

Murderers- bloodshot eyes, curly hair, long ears
Sexual deviants- glinting eyes, fleshy lips and projecting ears

Other characteristics are prominent jaw, high cheekbones and facial asymmetry.

Question 4

Strengths of Atavistic form

Answer 4

-) it has an important role in the shift away from theories based on feeble mindedness and demonic possession and led the way to more biological explanations.

Question 5

Weakness of atavistic form

Answer 5

• ) it has racists undertones as many of the features such as dark skin and curly hair are more likely to be found in people of African descent. This means his theory supports eugenic philosophy
• ) Goring et al set out to establish if there was any physical and mental abnormalities in the criminal classes, he studied 3,000 criminals and 3,000 non criminals and found no differences in face structure and characteristics , he did suggest they are more likely to have below average intelligence.
• ) Lomboso did not compare his criminals to a control group which means the differences he found may not be true
• ) Differneces in Cranial features and facial features could be caused by ither factors such as poverty and poor diet which can also lead to crime

Question 6

Lomboso’s research

Answer 6

He studied the facial and cranial features of living and dead Italian convicts, he examined the skulls of 383 dead convicts and 3839 living ones. He said that the number of abnormalities was a key indicator if criminality and said 40% off criminal acts could be explained by the criminal subculture