Topic 2: Biological Theories of Crime Flashcards
Define physiological
Physical form- this can be the body or the brain
What was the main principle within Lombroso’s theory?
The physical form being an indicator of criminality
Who did Lombroso carry out his studies on?
Convicted criminals in hospitals for the mentally insane.
Define what Lombroso meant by the term ‘atavism’
He claimed that criminality was heritable and that those who committed crime had atavistic features
Lombroso believed that criminality was __________ and that criminals could be identified by ________ __________ that confirmed them as being a savage.
inherited, physical defects
Lombroso suggested that criminality is not a matter of sin or free will but instead…?
A medical problem that needs to be examined
What did Lombroso suggest that atavistic people were like?
Pre social, unable to control impulses and have a reduced sensitivity to pain
Give 3 common features of ‘atavistic’ prisoners
Excessively long jaws, long arms, abnormal teeth
What part of the body did Lombroso particularly measure in dead prisoners?
The skull
Lombroso saw criminality as atavistic to remind him of…?
Earlier primitive stage of evolution
Define ‘somatotype’
Somatotype theory relates body types to personality characteristics and relates criminal behaviour to body type.
Define ‘endomorph’
Bigger (fat) and soft people
Endomorphs tend to be…?
Sociable and relaxed
Define ‘ectomorph’
Thin and fragile people
Ectomorphs tend to be…?
Introverted and restrained
Define ‘mesomorph’
Muscular and hard people
Mesomorphs tend to be…?
Aggressive and adventurous
According to Sheldon, which body type is most likely to be criminal and why?
Mesomorphs– because they have a more adventurous and energetic nature
Did Glueck and Glueck support Sheldon’s theory? What did they find?
Yes, however they found a fourth somatotype, a middle ground essentially which they called a balance
True or False: Lombroso believed that crime is innate.
True
What genes have been associated with crime and violence?
MAOA gene and a variant of Cadherin 13 (CDH13)
Those with these genes are how many more times more likely to have a history of criminal behaviour?
13 times
How can twin studies be used to examine the genetic basis of crime?
Looks at MZ twins who grew up in different environments, therefore eliminating environmental factors
What did Joseph research in 2001 and what were his findings?
Conducted research on 32 pairs of MZ twins who lived apart and found that both childhood and and adult anti-social behaviour had high heritability involved
