Biological positivism Flashcards
biological positivism
a theory in criminology that suggests that criminal behaviour is caused by an individual’s genetic disposition
understanding biological positivism
focused on variety of physical characteristics and sought to link them with criminal propensities, offender is driven by biological and physiological factors
Lombroso’s theory
major goals was to turn the study of crime into a science which drew conclusions from clinical case studies and empirical data, concept of atavism is criminals are distinguished by multiple physical variances, individuals were ‘born criminal’ and criminality was inherent in the individual
lombroso’s atavism
smaller and more deformed skulls, crooked noses, tattoos, sloping foreheads, large ears, dark skin, eyes and hair
classifications of criminals
Male- “the criminal is taller than normal and even more so than the insane, with a broader chest, darker hair and greater weight”. Female- “prostitutes have bigger calves than honest women”
criminal typologies of lombroso
born criminals- atavistic characteristics, insane criminals- alcoholics, occasional criminals- opportunistic tendencies, innate trait of individual, criminal of passion- anger, love or honour
impact of lombroso’s theory
paved the way for how to improve the science of criminality, he considered criminality as acting on compulsion, introduced an idea of measurement in criminality, and he made the case for individual reform of criminals
criticisms of lombroso
inappropriate samples, weak pieces of evidence, work laid the foundations for the criminalisation of races, body of work on female criminals is widely identified as misogynistic
many of lombroso’s conclusions are classified as examples of bad science, they have been severely criticised for his research and entire bulk of work has been discredited and rejected
