Lesson 3 – Atavistic Form

Question 1

What is the historical approach to offending?

Answer 1

1876- Lombroso- Italian physician- wrote 📖 in which he suggested that criminals were genetic throwbacks- primitive sub-species who were biologically different from non-criminals

Question 2

Why did Lobroso think criminals were sub-species?

Answer 2

Offenders 👀 by Lombroso as lacking evolutionary development- savage and untamed … impossible for them to adjust to demands of civilized society … inevitably turn to crime

Question 3

What is atavistic form?

Answer 3

Lombroso argued that criminal sub-species identified by set of particular physiological characteristics- linked to particular types of crime- biologically determined atavistic (meaning reversion to something ancestral) characteristics- mainly features of the face and head- indicate criminals physically different from rest of us

Question 4

Who came up with atavistic form?

Answer 4

Lombroso

Question 6

What cranial characteristics did the atavistic form include?

Answer 6

Narrow sloping brow, strong prominent jaw, ⬆️ cheekbones and facial asymmetry, dark skin, extra toes, extra nipples or extra fingers

Question 7

What are examples of different types of criminals having different types of physical characteristics?

Answer 7

Murderers- described as having bloodshot 👀, curly hair 👩‍🦱 and long 👂 Sexual deviants- glinting 👀, swollen/fleshy 👄 and projecting 👂
Fraudsters- thin and ‘reedy’ 👄

Question 8

What other characteristics did Lombroso suggest the born criminal had?

Answer 8

Insensitivity to pain, use of criminal slang, tattoos and unemployment

Question 9

What did Lombroso do to try and prove his theory of atavistic form?

Answer 9

Lombroso meticulously examined facial and cranial features of 🇮🇹 convicts (living and dead) and proposed that atavistic form associated with number of physical anomalies- 🔑 indicators of criminality
Lombroso examined skulls of 383 💀 criminals and 3839 living ones-> conclusion that 40% of criminal acts could be accounted for by criminal subculture

Question 10

What are the evaluation points of atavistic form?

Answer 10

👎- racist undertones in Lombroso’s work- features described as atavistic (dark skin and curly hair 👩‍🦱)- most likely found in people of African descent- his claim that atavistic characteristics were uncivilized, savage and primitive supported eugenic philosophy
👎- Goring (1913)- set out to establish if any physical or mental abnormalities among criminal classes- conducted comparison of 3,000 criminals and 3,000 non-criminals- concluded that ✖️ evidence that offenders had particular facial and cranial characteristics BUT did suggest criminals ⬆️ likely to have below average intelligence
👎- Lombroso ✖️ compare criminal sample to non-criminal control group- if he did so then differences reported may have disappeared
👎- even if criminals have atavistic characteristics- ✖️ necessarily mean that these characteristics-> criminal 🏃‍♂️- facial and cranial features can be influenced by poverty and poor diet- can ALSO-> people doing crime