Biological explanations: Atavistic form

Question 1

Biological explanations: Atavistic form

parts

Answer 1

A historical approach to offending
Atavistic characteristics
Lombroso’s research

Question 2

Atavistic form

Answer 2

:biological approach to offending
└links criminal activity to the fact that offenders are genetic throwbacks, a primitive sub species that aren’t suited to the rules of the modern society
└these individuals have particular facial and cranial characteristics

Question 3

Atavistic form

person

Answer 3

Lombroso (1876)

Question 4

A historical approach to offending

Answer 4

└Lombroso (1876)
└suggested offenders are genetic throwbacks, a primitive sub species that aren’t suited to the rules of the modern society
└criminals biologically different to non-criminals

Question 5

Atavistic characteristics

Answer 5

└atavistic characteristics
  └narrow, sloping brow
  └strong prominent jaw
  └high cheekbones
  └facial asymmetry 
  └dark skin
  └extra toes, nipples or fingers 

└murderers: bloodshot eyes, curly hair, long ears
└sexual deviants: glinting eyes, fleshy lips
└fraudsters: thin, reedy lips

└other non-physical traits
└insensitivity to pain, criminal slang, tattoos, unemployment

Question 6

Lombroso’s research

Answer 6

└he examined the facial and cranial features of hundreds of living and dead Italian convicts
└examined 383 dead, 3839 living
└concluded that 40% of criminal acts could be accounted for by people with atavistic characteristics

Question 7

Biological explanations: Atavistic form

strengths

Answer 7

Contribution to criminology
└Hollin (1989)
└Lombroso= ‘father of modern criminology’
└sifted emphasis from moralistic discourse to scientific factors e.g. genetics
└trying to describe how different types of people are likely to commit different types of crimes
└=lead to development of criminal profiling
└=major contribution to science of criminology

Question 8

Biological explanations: Atavistic form
limitations
summary

Answer 8

Scientific racism - DeLisi (2012)
Contradictory evidence - Goring (1913)
Poor control in research
Causation is an issue

Question 9

Biological explanations: Atavistic form
limitations
Scientific racism

Answer 9

└DeLisi (2012)
└Lombroso’s work has racial undertones
└criminal/atavistic features e.g. dark skin and curly hair are common of people of African descent
└overshadows criminology

Question 10

Biological explanations: Atavistic form
limitations
Contradictory evidence

Answer 10

└Goring (1913)
└like Lombroso, wanted to find out if there were any physical or mental abnormalities among criminals
└comparison between 3000 criminals and 3000 non-criminals
└=no evidence that offenders had distinct facial and cranial characteristics
└people who commit crime do tent to have lower than average intelligence

Question 11

Biological explanations: Atavistic form
limitations
Poor control in research

Answer 11

└Lombroso didn’t compare his sample with a non-criminal control group
└significant differences may have disappeared

Question 12

Biological explanations: Atavistic form
limitations
Causation is an issue

Answer 12

└correlation doesn’t mean causation
└facial and cranial differences may have been due to other factors
└e.g. poverty and poor diet, not delayed evolutionary development