Component 3: Crime - What Makes A Criminal Flashcards
Relate Darwin’s theory of evolution to criminal behaviour
Cesare Lombrosso was heavily influenced by Darwin’s theory of evolutions that criminals were a subspecies of human and could be identified by their primitive physiological features such as prominent jaws, monobrow, large ears, extra nipples and toes. This was based on observations carried out by prisoners. This explanation of criminality is therefore phsyiological in nature. His work has been accused of scientific racism.
Explain Sheldon’s idea of the criminal body type
Endomorph: fat, soft, sociable and relaxed
Ectomorph: thin, fragile and introverted
Mesomorph: muscular, hard, aggressive and adventurous - more likely to be a criminal.
What are the issues with Sheldon’s theory?
Even if there is a correlation between mesomorph’s and criminality, this might not be causal as other factors could influence criminality. Others may be prejudiced towards them due to their appearance, which leads to reinforcing and encouraging criminal behaviour. The body type may be a result of a poorer background and due to poor diet and more manual labour.
What is the genetic/hereditary explanation?
Modern physiological explanations for criminality focus on genetics. This does not mean there is a single gene for criminality but rather many factors that contribute to behaviour.
Genetic explanation: What did Jacobs et al find?
Jacobs et. at found that men with an extra y chromosome were more agressive. They only represent 0.001% of the population but 1.5% of the prison population. In terms of intelligence, men with an extra Y chromosome are less intelligent than average so may be more easily swayed to crime, especially as they may find it harder to make a living.
Genetic explanation: What did Osborn and West find?
13% of the sons of non-criminal fathers had criminal convictions whereas 40% of sons with criminal fathers had convictions. This suggests a genetic link.
Genetic Explanation: What did Lyons et al find?
They conducted studies on thousands of twins and found that identical twins (sharing 100% of genes) were more similar in terms of criminality and agression than non-identical twins. This suggests that genetic factors become more important in adulthood. As adults, they make their own choices and for non-identical twins behaviour becomes more different, suggesting genetic effect.
What are the conclusions of genetic explanation?
Having biological parents with a criminal record increases the chance of sons also having a criminal record (supports genetic explanation)
Having adoptive parents with a criminal record increases chances of sons having a criminal record (supports environment as cause for criminality)
Having biological and adoptive parents with a criminal record increasing chance of sons having a criminal record even more (supports both)
What is the warrior gene?
Han Brunner proposed a specific gene called the warrior gene that was related to agressive and violent criminal behaviour, the MAOA gene. This is responsible for the enzyme monoamine oxidase-A. He conducted a study on 5 violent members from one family in the Netherlands and analysed their urine samples over 24 hours.He found that the males had an insufficient production of MAOA enzyme which led to an increase in seratonin which led to them becoming abnormally agressive and violent. This is known as Brunner syndrome.
What is the brain dysfunction explanation?
Raine proposed that low levels of activity in the pre-frontal cortex can be indicated by low resting heart rate. Individuals with a lower than average heart rate tend to be extroverted and tend to be more thrill-seeking to increase levels of arousal in the brain. Raine offers a hollistic view as he understands that neither social nor biological explanations alone are satisfactory.
A number of structures in the brain are linked to agressiveness. Damage to the limbic system can result in abnormal emotional responses, defecits in learning, memory, attention and reduced sensitivity to conditoning. This may explain why violent offenders fail to learn from their past.
What did Eron et al find?
Measured the level of violence in tv programmes watched by 7-8 year olds as well as their levels of agression and found a positive correlation. By their teens, their was an even stronger positive correlation in boys (not girls) The more violence boys watched as children, the more likely they were to become violent criminals as adults.
What is the self-fulfiling prophecy?
We can be influenced by others through their expectations of us. This idea suggests stereotyped beliefs an individual holds can affect the behaviour of another. The holder of beliefs may respond in ways that elicit the expected behaviour. This would confirm their expectations and reinforce their stereotype.
What was the Jahoda study?
In a naturalistic study, Jahoda looked at the levels of agression in the Ashanti children. A male child is given a ‘soul name’ determined by the day he was born which is believed to affect his character. Monday boys are thought to be calm and wednesday boys are thought to be agressive.Jahoda found that 22% of violent offences were committed by Wednesday boys only only 7% by Monday bots. This suggests cultural expectations resulted in the boys being treated differently and as a result they acted in line with what was expected of them.
What did Farrington say about disrupted families?
Suggested that criminal behaviour is influenced by factors relating to family life such as parental criminality and parental absence. A sample of 411 males from a working class area were interviewed periodically from the age of 8 until 48. The longitudinal study also used interviews from their parents and teachers. Farrington suggested the most important risk factors for criminality in later life were measures of family criminality, loss of mother, tendancy towards daring, low school atainment, poverty and poor parenting. He concluded that disruption in families plays a very strong role in the development of criminal behaviour.
What is the theory of differential association?
Sutherland’s theory argued that the more contact someone has with attitudes to favourable criminal behaviour and the more exposure they have to this behaviour (through friends and family etc.) the more likely they are to commit a crime. People can become easily intergrated into the custom of criminality. Sutherland argues that people aquire group norms and values of the criminal group in preference to non-criminal groups.
