Lombroso Flashcards
People are —- criminal
Born criminal
Criminals are identified by
identified by facial features
Hypothesis
Those that commit crimes have atavistic/ primitive features
Examples of atavistic features
Large/ forward jaw High cheekbones Flattened/ upturned nose Low/ sloping forehead Long arms Large ears
Sample
383 dead criminals
3839 alive criminals
Findings
40% of criminal acts were accounted for by atavistic facial featires
Examples
Murderers:
bloodshot eyes
curly hair
Sex offenders:
thick lips
protruding ears
Other aspects
Insensitivity to pain
Slag
Tattoos
Unemployment
Strengths
further testing (Charles Goring) linked genetics to criminality
Less attractive people are more likely to be found guilty
Challenged free will
Labelled prisons as ‘criminal universities’ and that convicts would exit prison worse than they went in
Weaknesses
Lacked a control group
Low accuracy due to possible disfigurements
Racist as they feature presented targeted people of African descent
Deterministic (can’t escape destiny)