biological explanations Flashcards
what did lombroso see criminal behaviour as?
a natural tendency rooted in geneaology
what are atavistic characteritsics?
psychological markers that were linked to particular types of crime
what do atavistic characteristics include?
narrow slopping brow strong jaw high cheekbones facial asymmetry dark skin extra nipples toes etc
what did Lombroso suggest murderers atavistic characteristics were?
bloodshot eyes
curly hair
long ears
what did Lombroso suggest sexual deviants atavistic characteristics were?
glinting eyes
swollen fleshy lips
projecting ears
what did lombroso suggest there were?
genetic throwbacks a primitive sub species which biologically different from non-criminals
lombroso’s research
hundreds of italian convicts examined both living and dead
383 dead
3893 alive
40% of criminal acts could be accounted for by atavistic characteristics
evaluation - Lombroso’s contribution to criminology
hailed as father of modern criminology
credited with shifting emphasis in crime research from moralistic discourse towards a more scientific realm
issues with lombroso’s atavistic characteristics
theory is described as speculative and naive
scientific racism (DeLisi 1912)
drawn attention to racial undertones of the work may features are found among people of african decent
poor control in Lombroso’s research
he did not compare his criminal group with a control group - if he had the features may have dissapeared
causation is an issue
even if criminals did have atavistic features this does not mean that this is the cause of their offending
contradictory evidence
Goring 1913 set out to establish whether there were any physical or mental abnormalities among the criminal classes.
comparing 3000 criminals and 3000 non-criminals and concluded that there was no evidence that offenders are a distinct group with unusual characteristics
eugenics movement
galton argued that not all people are born equal human traits are inherited
