BIOLOGICAL EXPLANATIONS : AN HISTORICAL APPROACH

Question 1

lombroso wrote a book calleed

Answer 1

the criminal man

Question 2

what did lombroso suggest in the criminal man about criminals

Answer 2

were genetic throwbacks

Question 3

what are genetic throwbacks

Answer 3

aprimitive subspecies that are biologically different from non criminals

Question 4

by rodays standards lombrosos theory of …..

would be described as

Answer 4

atavistic form

speculative

naive

Question 5

offenders were seen as lacking what by lombroso

Answer 5

lacking evolutionary develoment

Question 6

expand on offender being seen by lomroso as lacking evolutionary development :

their x and x nature mean they would find it x to x to demands of a x society and would x turn to crime

Answer 6

their savage and untamed nature meant they would find it impossible to adjust to demands of a civilised society and would inveitably turn to crime

Question 7

in terms of lacking evolutionary development lomroso saw offending behaviour as what

Answer 7

a natural tendency rooted in genes of those who engage in it

Question 8

bio approach at time lombroso was writin ghe proposed a new perspective -

and in this ways his ideas were

Answer 8

offending behaviour was innate and therefore an offender was not to blame for his aciotns

in this way his odeas were revolutionary

Question 9

why was lomrosos ideas seen asrevolutionary

Answer 9

this new perspective proposed offenders werent to blame for their actions

Question 10

lombroso argued offender subtypes could be identified as being in

Answer 10

possesion of particular phsyiological marker that were linked to particular types of offence

these are biologically determined atavistic charactersitics

Question 11

DEFINITION : atavistic charctersitics

Answer 11

mainly features of the face and teh head that amke offenders physically differnt from teh rest of us

Question 12

atavistic charcateristics apart from face and head can include

Answer 12

other features

Question 13

what are the 4 cranial characteritstics the atavistic form includes

Answer 13

narrow sloping brow

stroong prominnet jaw

high cheekbones

facial asymmetry

Question 14

what are the 4 other physical markers of atavistic form

Answer 14

dark skin

existence of extra
toes
nipples
fingers

Question 15

beside physical traits lombroso suggested there were other aspects of teh born offender including (4)

Answer 15

insentitivity to pain

use of slang

tattos

unemployment

Question 16

lobrosos went on to categorise particulr types of offenders in terms of their

Answer 16

facial and phsyical charcateristics

Question 17

murderers were described as having (3)

Answer 17

bloodhsot eyes

curly hair

long ears

Question 18

seual deviangs were described as having (3)

Answer 18

glinting eyes

swollen fkeshy lips

projecting ears

Question 19

how were the lips of fraudsters

Answer 19

thin and reedy

Question 20

what did lombroso meticulously exxamine in his research

Answer 20

the facial and cranial features of hundreds of italian convicts

both living and dead

Question 21

what did he conclude from his research

2 POINTS

Answer 21

there was an atavistic form

these features were key indicators of criminality

Question 22

how many skulls of dead convicts did he examine

Answer 22

383

Question 23

how many skulls of living convicts did he examine

Answer 23

3839

Question 24

what did he (finally) conclude from his research nunber wise

Answer 24

40% of criminal acts are commited by people with atavistic charcatersitics

Question 25

strenghth : LOMBROSO LEGACY

one strength of Lombroso’s work is it changed the X of the study of X

Lombroso has been hailed as the ‘father of X X’.

He is also known for X the emphasis in crime research away from a X X towards a more X position

also, Lombroso’s theory in many ways paved the way for the beginning of X X , in trying to describe how particular types of people are likely to commit X X X X

suggests that Lombroso made a major contribution to the science of criminology

Answer 25

one strength of Lombroso’s work is it changed the face of the study of crime

Lombroso has been hailed as the ‘father of modern criminology’.

He is also known for shifting the emphasis in crime research away from a moralistic discourse (example )towards a more scientific position

also, Lombroso’s theory in many ways paved the way for the beginning of offender profiling, in trying to describe how particular types of people are likely to commit particular types of crime

suggests that Lombroso made a major contribution to the science of criminology

Question 26

COUNTERPOINT TO STRENGHT OF LOBROSO LEGACY

however, several critics including X have questioned whether Lombroso’s legacy is entirely X

attention has been drawn to the X undertones within Lombroso’s work

many of the features that Lombroso identified as atavistic (XX, XX ) are most likely to be found among people of X descent - basically suggesting that Africans are more likely to be offenders - Whihc was a view that fit 19th century xx

suggest that some aspects of his theory were highly x rather than objective, influenced by racial prejudices

Answer 26

however, several critics including DeLisi have questioned whether Lombroso’s legacy is entirely positive

attention has been drawn to the racist undertones within Lombroso’s work

many of the features that Lombroso identified as atavistic (curly hair, dark skin) are most likely to be found among people of African descent - basically suggesting that Africans are more likely to be offenders - Whihc was a view that fit 19th century eugenics attitudes

suggest that some aspects of his theory were highly subjective rather than objective, influenced by racial prejudices

Question 27

limitations of lobroso work : contradictory evidence

one limitation of Lombroso’s methods is there’s evidence that contradicts the link between atavism and crime

Goring, like lombrosos set out to establish whether there was naything x xabout offenders

after conducting a comparison between x offenders and 3000 x x he concluded that there was no evidence that offenders are a x x with unusual x and x characteristics though suggested that many people who commit crime have x xx x

challenges the idea that offenders can be x x from the rest of the population and are therefore to be a unlikely to be a x

Answer 27

one limitation of Lombroso’s methods of investigation is there’s evidence that contradicts the link between atavism and crime

Goring, like lombrosos set out to establish whether there was naything physically atypical about offenders

after conducting a comparison between 3000 offenders and 3000 non-offenders he concluded that there was no evidence that offenders are a distinct group with unusual facial and cranial characteristics though suggested that many people who commit crime have lower than average intelligence

challenges the idea that offenders can be physically distinguished from the rest of the population and are therefore to be a subspecies

Question 28

LIMITATION - POOR CONTROL

one limitation is that Lombroso’s methods of investigation were poorly controlled

Lombroso failed to control X X within his research

FOR EXAMPLE he didn’t compare his X sample with a XX XX(which Goring did)

this could have controlled for a number of X X that might have explained higher crime rates in certain groups of X

for instance, research has shown links between crime and XX such as X and XX outcomes (Hay and Forest) - links that would explain why offenders were more likely to be unemployed, for example

suggest that Lombrosos’s research doesn’t meet modern x x and therfore his results lack x

Answer 28

one limitation is that Lombroso’s methods of investigation were poorly controlled

Lombroso failed to control important variables within his research

he didn’t compare his offender sample with a non-offender control group (which Goring did)

this could have controlled for a number of confounding variables that might have explained higher crime rates in certain groups of people

for instance, research has shown links between crime and social conditions such as poverty and poor educational outcomes (Hay and Forest) - links that would explain why offenders were more likely to be unemployed, for example

suggest that Lombrosos’s research doesn’t meet modern scientific standards and therefore his results lack validity

Question 29

EVALUATION EXTRA NATURE OR NUTURE - deterministic

Lombroso’s wokr raises the question of whether criminals are X or X

the atavistic form is detetministic as suggest that crime has a X cause - X determined

( cCAN I SAY THIS CAN BE CONSIDERED A LIMITATION ) This deterministic and as doesn’t consider other factors environmental however, even if there’re criminals who have some features which Lombroso suggested, this doesn’t mean this is the X of their X X

as well as this, there’s a possibility that X and X differences are influenced by factors such as X or X X

Answer 29

Lombroso’s wokr raises the question of whether criminals are born or made

the atavistic form suggest that crime has a biological cause - genetically determined

however, even if there’re criminals who have some features which Lombroso suggested, this doesn’t mean this is the cause of their offending behaviour

as well as this, there’s a possibility that facial and cranial differences are influenced by factors such as poverty or poor diet