Biological Explanations - An Historical Approach

Question 1

Who proposed this theory?

Answer 1

-Lombroso (1876)

Question 2

What was Lombroso theory ?

Answer 2

• Criminals are a genetic throwback.
• criminals are savage and untamed - they have laced evolutionary development.
• they can’t adjust to demands of society so turn to crime
• they are a primitive sub-species who an biologically different to non criminals
• criminals can be clearly identified due to shared physical characteristics.

Question 3

What are the atavistic features of criminals?

Answer 3

Criminals have a strong prominent jaw, high cheekbones, dark skin extra toes ,fingers, nipples of fingers

Question 4

What an atavistic features of murderers ?

Answer 4

• Blood shot eyes, curly hair, and long ears.

Question 5

What a the atavistic features for sexual deviants?

Answer 5

• Glinting eyes , swollen, fleshy lips

Question 6

What are the atavistic features of fraudsters?

Answer 6

• thin and reedy lips.

Question 7

What are other non -physical traits?

Answer 7

• Unemployment, tattoos and use a criminal slang

Question 8

What was Lombroso’s procedure and findings?

Answer 8

-Lombroso examined the facial and cranial features of hundreds of Italian convicts both living and dead and concluded that there was an atavistic form
- furthermore,he concluded that these were concluded that these key features were indicators of criminality
- he examined Th skull 383 dead convicts and 3839 living ones and concluded that 40% of criminals acts are committed by people with atavistic characteristics