biological explanations : Atavistic form

Question 1

this is the historical approach to offender profiling and was proposed by

Answer 1

Lombroso

Question 2

he suggested that criminals were ‘ genetic throwbacks ‘ who were not accustomed to the

Answer 2

social norms of normal civilised society and so in this sense were more suited for crime

Question 3

criminals could be identified by signature atavistic characteristics such like

Answer 3

specific facial and cranial features

Question 4

these atavistic characteristics included

Answer 4

long ears
dark skin
extra toes
extra nipples
curly hair

Question 5

certain atavistic characteristics were associated with certain crimes for example murders were identified to have

Answer 5

bloodshot eyes

Question 6

certain atavistic characteristics were associated with certain crimes for example fraudsters were identified to have

Answer 6

reedy lips

Question 7

certain atavistic characteristics were associated with certain crimes for example sexual deviants were identified to have

Answer 7

glinting eyes

Question 8

this has been considered by many modern criminologists as

Answer 8

the foundation of offender profiling and criminology

Question 9

Lobos based his theory upon studying the cranial features of 383 dead and 3838 alive criminals , whereby appoximately

Answer 9

40% of crime could be explained using the offender profiles based upon certain atavistic characteristics

Question 10

• many modern researchers such as DeLisi 2012 , have branded Lombroso and his atavistic theory as racists for example

Answer 10

just because an individual had certain atavistic characteristics, does not mean that they are or are destined to become criminal. Following this logic, it appears that certain races are more likely to become criminal than others, such as African Americans, amongst whom curly hair is common.
Therefore, this may have lended itself to giving ‘scientific justification’ for discriminatory practices and eugenics e.g. William Shockley’s Voluntary Sterilization Bonus Plan.

Question 11

• a second major weakness is that the atavistic form theory is consider by many as unscientific

Answer 11

The dated methodology adopted by Lombroso did not use statistical analysis or a control group from another culture. Since the entire sample was Italian, we do not know whether the findings of atavistic characteristics are significant and if so, to what confidence level. Comparisons with a control group are needed to establish statistical significance, particularly through the additional use of random allocation (controls for confounding effects of individual participant variables).

Question 12

+ Lombroso may be considered as ‘ the father of criminology ‘

Answer 12

as suggested by Hollin (1989). This is because Lombroso’s methods of attributing certain atavistic or cranial features to certain types of criminals with specific traits, was the basis from which modern criminal profiling was developed from.
Although not entirely scientific due to the lack of a control group and no statistical analysis, Lombroso’s conclusions can still be considered as credible, considering the large sample size (over 3800 participants in total!).