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Biological Theories of crime Flashcards

1
Q

What is ‘Nature’?

A

Genes and hereditary factors-physical appearance/personality characteristics.

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2
Q

What is ‘Nurture’?

A

Environmental variables-childhood experiences, how we were raised , social relationships, surrounding culture.

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3
Q

What is a biological theory of crime?

A

Emphasise internal inherited traits as the most important factors that cause crime. States that innate aspects from birth determine behaviour and that there is a difference from the criminal and non-criminal.

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4
Q

What was Lombroso’s theory (1876)?

A

His key idea was that criminals are physically different from non-criminals. He measured many criminals’ heads and facial features.

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5
Q

What were Lombroso’s findings?

A

Criminals were more likely to have large jaws, long arms, aquiline noses

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6
Q

What is Atavism (Lombroso)?

A

Criminals are throwbacks to primitive stage of evolution- pre-social impulsive, reduced sensitivity to pain.

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7
Q

What are the strengths of Lombroso?

A

He was the first person to study crime scientifically.
He helps to focus on prevention and not punishment.
His study shows the importance of clinical and historical records of criminals.

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8
Q

What are the limitations of Lombroso’s theory?

A

There was no further evidence to link facial features and criminality.
He didn’t compare his results with a control group of non-criminals.
He largely ignored social context (environmental factors).

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9
Q

What is Eugenics?

A

The practice or advocacy of improving the human species by selectively mating people with specific desirable hereditary traits. It aims to reduce human suffering by ‘breeding out’ disease, disabilities and so called undesirable characteristics from the human population.

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10
Q

What was Sheldon’s theory (1942)?

A

Said criminals are physically different than non-criminals.
Somatotypes- underlying physique that is not changed by over eating or training. (Endomorph, Mesomorph, Ectomorph).

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11
Q

What did Sheldon (1942) do?

A

He studied 400 boys in a residential rehabilitation home. He gathered data from their family backgrounds and monitored their growth for 8 years.

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12
Q

What did Sheldon find to be the most common criminal somatotype?

A

Mesomorphs as they are attracted to risk-taking and their physique and assertiveness are important assets in crime.

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13
Q

What are the strengths of Sheldon?

A

Other studies replicate his findings.
The most serious delinquents had the most mesomorphic bodies.

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14
Q

What are the weaknesses of Sheldon?

A

Criminality is likely to be a combination of environmental and biological factors, not just biology.
The mesomorphic build may be a result of criminality not a cause.
Social class may be the true cause of offending and mesomorphy.
Mesomorphs are more likely to be labelled as criminals so are therefore more often caught than the other somatotypes.

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15
Q

What is a genetic theory of crime?

A

Inherited traits are the most important factors that cause crime.

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16
Q

What are the key ideas in twin studies? (Christiansen)

A

If crime is genetic, MZ twins should have identical criminality.

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17
Q

What were the main findings in Christiansen’s study?

A

Concordance in criminality MZ-52% Vs DZ-22%, so there is a genetic element in crime.

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18
Q

What are the key ideas in adoption studies (Mednick)?

A

Adoptees share environment of adoptive parents/genes of biological parents. If genetic, criminality will match biological parents more.

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19
Q

What are the key findings of Mednick et al?

A

Birth parent concordance rate-20% Vs adopted parent concordance rate-14.7%, so there is a genetic element to crime.

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20
Q

What are the strengths of twin and adoption studies?

A

Twin and adoption studies give some support to genetic explanations.
Adoption studies overcome the problem of isolating genes and environment.
Research design of adoption studies is logical (nature vs nurture).

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21
Q

What are the weaknesses of twin and adoption studies?

A

If criminality was only genetic MZ twins would have 100% concordance.
It is impossible to isolate genetic effects fully from environmental ones.
Adopted children are often placed with similar families to their birth family.

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22
Q

What is the Cambridge Study Of Delinquent Development?

A

Longitudinal study since 1961 that followed London males from childhood-adulthood, examining the development of criminal and antisocial behaviour. Study highlighted that the most frequent offences were committed between the ages 17 and 20 and showed that personality is an important factor in whether someone commits a crime.

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23
Q

What was Crowe’s study?

A

Adoption study in Sweden, Denmark and the US. Found that those whose mothers had a criminal record had a 50% chance of getting one themselves by the time they were 18, compared to those with mothers without a criminal record, who had a 5% chance. Concluded that heritable factors increase the likelihood of criminal behaviour.

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24
Q

What was Jacob’s XYY Study?

A

XYY syndrome in males makes them genetically predisposed to criminality. He compared the rate of XYY in imprisoned criminals with the general population.

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25
What did Jacob find in his XYY study?
A higher than average proportion of inmates had XYY, so there is a genetic element to crime.
26
What are the features of XYY?
Very tall, well-built, low intelligence, high aggression, violent.
27
What are the strengths of Jacob's XYY study?
Jacob et al found associations with XYY and violent prisoners. Price and Watmore found links with XYY and property crime.
28
What are the weaknesses of Jacob's XYY study?
Having the syndrome doesn't mean that is the cause of crime. XYY men fit the stereotype of violent offenders-labelling theory. Low intelligence of XYY may give higher chance of being caught. Syndrome is too rare to explain much crime.
29
Explain the Phineas Gage case:
1848-3ft metal pole went through his skull (pre-frontal cortex). His personality changed and he became more aggressive (out of control). After Gage died, a physician linked the behavioural changes with the damage to the frontal region of the brain. In the 1990s, scientists found that the accident damaged both hemispheres of the frontal lobe, which is the part of the brain that influences social behaviour. Those who have damage to their frontal lobe often have dramatic changes in emotion and behaviour.
30
What did Raine (1997) find?
Abnormal brainwave activity-measured using an EEG. He used 41 American prisoners and matched them with 41 normal people. 6 of the prisoners were schizophrenic and 23 had suffered head injuries. Patients who suffer damage to the lower pre-frontal cortex are most likely to have psychopathic traits. Psychopathic individuals show reduced amygdala activation when contemplating personal moral dilemmas, so criminals have a different structure and activation than non-criminals.
31
What is the function of the Amygdala and how does it link to behaviour?
Is the major processing centre for emotions. Participates in regulation of autonomic and endocrine functions, decision making and activation of the fight or flight response. When malfunctioning it can be linked to violence, unusual emotional responses, possibly a lack of fear, more activity on the right (unbalanced).
32
What is the function of the Hippocampus and how does it link to behaviour?
Converts STM into LTM by organising, storing and retrieving memories within your brain. When faulty it results in the inability to learn from mistakes, repeat criminal behaviour, more activity on the right (unbalanced).
33
What is the function of the Corpus Callosum and how does it link to behaviour?
A thick bundle of nerve fibres that connects the two cerebral hemispheres, allowing them to communicate. It's also involved in movement control, cognitive functions and vision. When low activity causes problems with spotting long-term consequences of behaviour.
34
What is the function of the pre-frontal cortex and how does it link to behaviour?
Known to be the higher-order association centre of the brain as it's responsible for decision making, reasoning, personality expression, maintaining social appropriateness and other complex cognitive behaviours. Low activity reduces rational thought and moral judgement, less self-control, more impulsive criminal behaviour.
35
What is the function of the Occipital lobe and how does it link to behaviour?
Responsible for visual perception, including colour, form and motion. Over stimulated in violent and sex offenders.
36
What are the strengths of evaluating brain injuries and disorders?
A few extreme cases do show brain injury leads to changes in behaviour including criminality. Some correlation between abnormal EEG readings and psychopathy. Prisoners are more likely than non-prisoners to have brain injury.
37
What are the weaknesses of evaluating brain injuries and disorders?
Crimes caused by brain injury or disease are rare- original personality more important. Abnormal EEG not necessarily the cause and not found in all psychopaths. Prisoner's higher likelihood of brain injury may be affect of criminality not cause e.g. getting into fights.
38
What are the neurochemical effects on crime?
Neurochemical = the external factors on brain chemistry and mental processing. E.g. culture and customs, abuse, upbringing, diet, pollution, emotional/physical trauma, living conditions, drugs, educational provision.
39
Sex hormones (males): explanation of crime:
Ellis and Coontz: testosterone levels are highest from puberty to early 20s (correlation with crime rates).
40
Sex hormones (females): explanation of crime:
PMT (Premenstrual tension) and PND (Post-natal depression)- partial legal defences for women with crimes of shoplifting and infanticide- affected mood/self control.
41
Effects of neurotransmitters on crime:
Low levels of dopamine: depression, boredom, apathy, fatigue. Low levels of serotonin: obsessive thinking, addiction, anxiety, SAD (seasonal affective disorder).
42
Effect of blood sugar levels on crime:
Hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar) trigger aggressive reactions. Schoenthaler- young offenders should reduce sucrose intake-social policy.
43
Effects of substance abuse on crime:
Relaxants and stimulants can both be correlated with crime. Synthetic food colouring tartrazine-hyperactivity/depression and anti-social behaviours. Vitamin B deficiency-erratic and aggressive behaviour.
44
Positives of neurochemical effects on crime:
-Chemical inbalances are recognised in criminal law-e.g misuse of drugs act. -Chemical inbalance also recognised as partial defences in criminal law- e.g under the influence of alcohol. -Punishment can focus on providing support for addiction problems. -Adds to the overall knowledge of risks of diet and substance abuse.
45
Negatives of neurochemical effects on crime:
-Difficult to know the extent of biochemical effects-not often measurable at the time of an offence. -All crime might have some chemical imbalance so not always useful as a particular cause of crime. -Diet and substance abuse might be more effected by social-economical factors rather than the biochemical changes themselves.
46
What are the general criticisms of biological theories?
-Environmental factors: biology may give potentially criminal characteristics but need an environmental trigger too. -Sample Bias: only studying criminals means we don't know about those who got away-can't generalise. -Gender bias: Most biological research only tells us about male criminality. -Crime is a social construct: Biological theories look for universal explanations, but crime varies over time, place and culture.
47
What social policy can be applied to Lombroso?
Eugenics, sterilisation, facial recognition.
48
What social policy can be applied to Sheldon?
Gait recognition theory.
49
What social policy can be applied to Christiansen?
Genetic screening/editing.
50
What social policy can be applied to Mednick?
Genetic screening/editing.
51
What social policy can be applied to Jacob's XYY study?
Genetic screening/editing.
52
What social policy can be applied to Crowe?
Parenting classes.
53
What social policy can be applied to Raine?
Diets for prisoners-fish oil.
54
What social policy can be applied to Bruner?
Genetic screening/editing.
55
What was Bruner's study (1993)?
Studied 5 males and 2 females. He found a change in DNA affecting MAOA. He concluded there was a link to aggression if MAOA not working properly (wasn't working in the males). The study was scientific however it had a very small sample size.
56
What is a strength of Christiansen (1974)?
It was a large study (over 3,500).
57
What is a weakness of Christiansen (1974)?
It was specific to one culture, assumptions of equal environments (identical twins may be treated more similarly than fraternal twins).
58
What are the strengths of Crowe?
Cross cultural.
59
What are the weaknesses of Crowe?
Cannot assume a personality type on the basis of a criminal conviction.
60
What are the strengths of Raine (1997)?
Scientific- PET scans are objective, application to real life (shows the possibility that biological factors impact criminal behaviour).
61
What are the weaknesses of Raine (1997)?
Didn't study non-violent criminals (generalisable), small sample size (80).

Criminology Unit 2 (3 decks)

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