Topic 1; what makes a criminal Flashcards
what is the physiological explanation of criminal behaviour?
criminal behaviour is controlled by genetics and so is the product of evolution
how does facial features determine criminality?
Lombrosso argued in his book Criminal Man that criminals had prominent jaws, brow ridges and large ears
how does body type make someone more criminal?
Sheldon argued that there are three main body types; ectomorphic, endomorphic and mesomorphic - those who had a mesomorphic body type were more likely to become a criminal because they have a muscular build and so more capable of aggression
how does the physiological explanation of criminal behaviour link to labelling theory?
individuals with the mesomorphic body type may be stigmatised by the criminal justice system and this may encourage criminal behaviour - this links to self fulfilling prophecy
it also may reinforce the phenomenon that crime is typically committed by working class individuals; the working class are more likely to acquire the mesomorphic body type due to poor diet and more manual labour
how does self fulfilling prophecy explain criminal behaviour?
individuals who receive negative labels such as being labelled as deviant may cause them to fulfil their label by committing a crime because that is what society expects from them - essentially their deviant label becomes their master status which interferes with the individuals self concept and so it is likely that they are driven towards a deviant lifestyle - this links to recidivism, once the individual is labelled as criminal, it is hard to shift and becomes a part of an individuals self concept by producing further deviant behaviour
how does genes influence criminal behaviour?
Jacobs argued that men are more likely to be criminals than women but men with the XYY gene are at the highest risk of becoming a criminal because they are more aggressive and less intelligent so may be more easily swayed towards crime - statistics show that whilst men with this gene make up 0.001% of the population, they make up 1.5% of the prison population
Osborn and West argued that criminality runs through the generations - for example, 40% of sons with criminal fathers had convictions compared with 13% of sons with non criminal fathers had convictions
how can researchers conduct a study investigating criminal behaviour and genetics?
twin studies and adoption studies
what do twin studies show about criminal behaviour?
Lyons found that misbehaviour between monozygotic and dyzygotic twins in early adulthood were not a lot more similar - suggesting that the environment and the way we are socialised is important when determining criminality; for example, children’s behaviour is controlled by being banned from watching violent TV
However, records of criminal behaviour in adult twins were more similar in monozygotic twins, suggesting that genetics are more prominent in adulthood as individuals have more freedom over the way that they behave
what do adoption studies show about criminal behaviour?
having biological parents with a criminal record increases the chance of sons also having a criminal record (genetic factor)
having adoptive parents with a criminal record increases the chance of sons also having a criminal record (environmental factor)
having biological and adoptive parents with a criminal record also increases the chance of sons having a criminal record even more (genetic and environmental factors add together)
how does social learning theory influence criminal behaviour (Bandura)?
parents act as role models; children observe and imitate criminal behaviour
individuals are likely to imitate criminal behaviour if the role model is the same gender as the learner and also if the role model is likeable
how does rational choice theory influence criminal behaviour?
if the perceived rewards outweigh the consequences, then there is a higher chance of the individual committing crime
how does operant conditioning influence criminal behaviour (Bandura)?
if the individual receives positive reinforcement for criminal behaviour, such as receiving sweets as a reward, then their criminal behaviour will increase in frequency
Another way that a child can be positively reinforced is if they feel an increased sense of power and hierarchy when imitating the violence of a popular TV character
how does the environment such as watching violent TV influence criminal behaviour?
Eron found a positive correlation between the level of violence on TV and 7 and 8 year olds and by their teens, there was a stronger correlation between the amount of violence teenage boys watched when they were younger and their level of aggressiveness
what debates can be applied to this topic?
- nature - individuals have a hereditary disposition towards criminality
- determinism - being stereotypes which leads to a self fulfilling prophecy
- free will - reconstructive surgeries, operant conditioning, the role models we choose to associate ourselves with
- reductionist to assume that criminality is a cause of genes, learning or self fulfilling prophecy
