Week 3 - Positivist Criminology

Question 1

What was the significance of Darwin’s theory of natural selection in criminology?

Answer 1

Darwin’s theory influenced the understanding of criminal behavior by suggesting that certain traits may be inherited, impacting individuals’ propensity to commit crimes.

Question 2

Who is Cesare Lombroso and what is his contribution to criminology?

Answer 2

Cesare Lombroso is known as the father of the positivist school and scientific criminology, emphasizing empirical methods and classification of criminals based on biological traits.

Question 3

What did early pre-Darwinian views suggest about the brain and criminal behavior?

Answer 3

They proposed that differences in criminal behavior were linked to internal brain factors, not solely cost-benefit analysis.

Question 4

Define phrenology.

Answer 4

Phrenology is the study of the skull’s shape as a supposed indicator of personality and mental faculties, often associated with early criminological thought.

Question 5

What does physiognomy refer to?

Answer 5

Physiognomy is the assessment of a person’s character or personality from their outer appearance, particularly the face.

Question 6

Explain craniometry.

Answer 6

Craniometry involves measuring the skull to infer characteristics about a person’s intelligence and personality.

Question 7

System of classification - Lombroso

Answer 7

Born criminals – people born to commit crime
o Might have facial defects

• Criminals of passion – crimes in specific situations, or for certain reasons

o Occasional criminals – pseudocriminals (minor offenders, implicated in crime, caught up in technicalities), criminaloids (*commit crimes only when there is opportunity), habitual criminals (lack a proper education or upbringing)
- Insane or mentally defective – low IQ, alcoholism, excitable personality

Question 8

Lombroso’s legacy

Answer 8

Determinism – pre-determined, no free will
o Constitutional vs accidental criminality
- Profound impact on criminology
o Biological and biosocial theories
- Lombrosian project internationally – David garland
- Serious policy implications
o Interventionism vs retribution

Question 9

What role do hormones play in criminal behavior?

Answer 9

Hormones like testosterone are correlated with aggression and can influence criminal behavior, particularly violent crime.

Question 10

Define shaken baby syndrome.

Answer 10

Shaken baby syndrome refers to brain damage caused by violent shaking, often impacting areas responsible for self-control and emotional regulation.

Question 11

What is the lead-crime connection?

Answer 11

The lead-crime connection suggests that exposure to lead is correlated with increased rates of violent crime.

Question 12

What does sociobiology study?

Answer 12

Sociobiology examines the complex interactions between biological and social conditions in shaping human behavior.

Question 13

How does low IQ relate to criminality?

Answer 13

Low IQ is linked to poor school performance and increased chances of criminal behavior, as it limits educational and employment opportunities.

Question 14

Personality

Answer 14

• Emotional/behavioural attributes
• Reasonably stable/constant
• Distinguish one person from another
• Antisocial personality, borderline, intermittent explosive, narcissistic

Question 15

Antisocial personality disorder

Answer 15

APD, psychopath, and sociopath used as synonyms, but are very different
o Psychopath term more preferred
- Particularly violent criminals
- Hare’s psychopathy checklist used to determine psychopathy
o Charming, lying, lack of remorse or guilt, lack of goals, impulsive, criminal versatility
o Psychopath’s brains reflect this

Question 16

Policy implications

Answer 16

• Biological factors – help prevent illness
• Early childhood experiences with caregivers
• Help high risk children
• Later in life – imprisonment treatment

Question 17

What did Goring find in his studies of prisoners and non-criminals?

Answer 17

found no significant anomalies between the two groups in body features, but noted that criminals tended to be 1-2 inches shorter and 3-7 pounds lighter, suggesting hereditary inferiority.

Question 18

Describe the three body types identified by Sheldon.

Answer 18

Endomorph: Soft and round, relaxed and comforting.
Mesomorph: Muscular and strong, active and aggressive (more prone to emotional instability).
Ectomorph: Lean and frail, sensitive and shy.

Question 19

What was found regarding body types among criminals?

Answer 19

Criminals are often found to have higher mesomorphy and lower ectomorphy; approximately 60% of delinquents were mesomorphs.

Question 20

What role does heredity play in criminal behavior?

Answer 20

Family studies since 1850 have suggested that heredity influences criminality, showing high correlations between criminality among parents and children, as well as siblings.

Question 21

What did Christiansen’s Danish study reveal about twins and criminal behavior?

Answer 21

The study found a 35% concordance rate for criminal behavior among identical male twins compared to 12% for fraternal twins, indicating genetic influence.

Question 22

What were the findings of adoption studies regarding biological and adoptive parents?

Answer 22

Adoptees with no criminal record had 31% of biological fathers with criminal records; 37% of minor offenders and 48% of serious offenders had criminal fathers, indicating hereditary effects.

Question 23

What is MAOA, and how is it related to aggression?

Answer 23

MAOA is an enzyme that breaks down neurotransmitters. Abnormal levels can lead to heightened aggression and low self-control due to excessive neurotransmitter activity.

Question 24

How does the MAOA gene interact with childhood maltreatment?

Answer 24

Maltreatment alone predicts antisocial behavior, but a combination of low MAOA levels and maltreatment significantly increases the risk.

Question 25

What is the relationship between testosterone and aggression?

Answer 25

The relationship is mixed; high testosterone may lead to aggression, while aggressive behavior can also increase testosterone levels.

Question 26

What roles do the frontal and temporal lobes play in behavior?

Answer 26

The frontal lobe is responsible for goal-directed behavior, impulse control, and decision-making, while the temporal lobe is involved in emotions and their expression.

Question 27

What types of brain imaging reveal structural and functional abnormalities?

Answer 27

CT, MRI, PET, and SPECT scans have shown abnormalities in the frontal and temporal lobes associated with violent behavior.

Question 28

What does skin conductance measure, and how is it related to antisocial behavior?

Answer 28

Skin conductance measures the rate of return to normal electrical conductance after stress; slower recovery is linked to antisocial behavior.

Question 29

How do autonomic nervous system responses relate to antisocial behavior?

Answer 29

Slow or weak ANS responses make it harder for children to learn from punishment, leading to increased antisocial behavior.

Question 30

What are some environmental factors linked to aggression?

Answer 30

Factors include opiate withdrawal, low blood sugar, lead exposure, and head trauma, all of which can increase aggression and antisocial behavior.

Question 31

How does alcohol affect aggression?

Answer 31

Low doses of alcohol can increase aggression, while high doses may suppress it; low serotonin levels may contribute to this relationship.

Question 32

What role do pregnancy and delivery complications play in violent behavior?

Answer 32

Complicated pregnancies and delivery issues are associated with central nervous system deficits, which are more prevalent among violent offenders.

Question 33

What are the limitations of twin and adoption studies in understanding criminality?

Answer 33

Limitations include violations of the equal environment assumption, late separation, non-representativeness of adoptive families, and prenatal influences.

Question 34

Define genetic-environmental covariance.

Answer 34

Genetic-environmental covariance occurs when certain genotypes evoke specific environmental responses, such as children with behavioral issues attracting harsher discipline.

Question 35

What did Goddard conclude from his testing of inmates?

Answer 35

Goddard found that a high percentage of inmates were feebleminded, linking low IQ to criminality.

Question 36

What is the average difference in IQ scores between African Americans and European Americans?

Answer 36

African Americans score on average 15 points lower than European Americans on IQ tests, leading some scholars to link this to differences in crime rates.

Question 37

What claim did Arthur Jensen make regarding IQ?

Answer 37

Jensen claimed that IQ tests measure factors for success and attributed 80% of IQ variance to genetics.

Question 38

What gap exists among delinquents regarding IQ?

Answer 38

Delinquents typically have a gap between verbal IQ and performance IQ, with lower verbal scores.

Question 39

What theories explain the relationship between low IQ and delinquency?

Answer 39

Innate Ability: Low IQ reflects inherited problem-solving abilities.
Cultural Bias: IQ tests may be culturally biased.
Environmental Factors: IQ can be influenced by environmental conditions and educational improvements.

Question 40

What is the Flynn Effect?

Answer 40

The Flynn Effect refers to the observed rise in IQ scores over generations, typically by 9-15 points, attributed to better nutrition and education.

Question 41

How did Freud link behavior to personality structure?

Answer 41

Freud linked behavior to early childhood experiences and unconscious processes, dividing personality into the ID, superego, and ego.

Overdeveloped superego
- Guilt, anxiety, excessive parenting
Underdeveloped superego
- Unregulated ID, absent parenting
Delinquent ego
- Protects desires ID

Question 42

What is the ID, and what principle does it follow?

Answer 42

The ID represents biological drives and impulses and operates on the pleasure principle.

Question 43

What roles do the superego and ego play in personality?

Answer 43

The superego is the conscience and moral standards, while the ego mediates between the ID and superego based on the reality principle.

Question 44

What are sublimation and repression in Freud’s theory?

Answer 44

Sublimation is channeling ID drives into socially acceptable activities, while repression is denying ID drives, which can lead to maladaptive behaviors.

Question 45

What were the findings of Glueck’s study on delinquent personality traits?

Answer 45

The study identified a delinquent personality characterized by extroversion, impulsivity, vivacity, hostility, and low self-control.

Question 46

What are the crime-related personality traits identified by Miller and Lynam?

Answer 46

Traits include low agreeableness (hostility, self-centeredness) and low conscientiousness (lack of ambition, impulse control difficulties).

Question 47

How does Hare differentiate between psychopaths and those with ASPD?

Answer 47

Hare argues that psychopaths are a smaller, more severe subset of ASPD with traits like egocentricity, grandiosity, and a lack of conscience.

Question 48

What is the role of treatment for psychopaths?

Answer 48

Treatment should leverage a psychopath’s self-interest and focus on teaching pro-social life skills, though some propose severe measures like long-term incarceration.

Question 49

What challenges exist in predicting violent behavior?

Answer 49

Attempts to forecast violence are often unsuccessful, with nearly two-thirds of predicted violent crimes not occurring.

Question 50

What ethical concerns arise from predictions of violence?

Answer 50

Detaining individuals based on predictions raises ethical issues of justice and fairness.

Question 51

Under what circumstances can accurate predictions of violence be made?

Answer 51

Accurate predictions can occur when future situations closely resemble past circumstances, assessing the recency, severity, and frequency of prior acts.

Question 52

What limitations exist in predicting future violence?

Answer 52

It is difficult to predict violence over long periods, and predictions should be distinct from mental health diagnoses.

Question 53

Compare actuarial and clinical predictions.

Answer 53

Actuarial predictions use statistical methods to evaluate risk, while clinical predictions involve subjective assessments of potential for violence.

Question 54

Which types of crime are easier to predict?

Answer 54

Less serious crimes are easier to predict, with indicators like early childhood behavioral problems and low parental management.

Question 55

What is the direction of the relationship between depression and delinquency?

Answer 55

The relationship is unclear; depression may lead to delinquency due to feelings of shame, while delinquency can result in depression from social rejection.

Question 56

What mediating factors affect the relationship between depression and delinquency?

Answer 56

Self-control is a significant factor, but depression often decreases self-control.

Question 57

How does impulsivity relate to crime?

Answer 57

Crime can be rewarding, and individuals may commit it unless restrained by internal inhibitions developed through parenting.

Question 58

Describe Glenn Walters’ theory on lifestyle criminals.

Answer 58

Walters identified lifestyle criminals as globally irresponsible and self-indulgent, exhibiting chronic violations of societal rules.

Question 59

What are some thinking patterns associated with impulsivity in crime?

Answer 59

mollification (blame external things), cutoff (use cues to terminate thought and act impulsively), entitlement (justify actions), power orientation (belief in a competitive world), sentimentality (past good deeds justify current behaviour), super optimism (immune to consequences), cognitive indolence (ignoring details, failing to focus), discontinuity (inability to follow through on commitments/goals)

Question 60

Who are Moffitt’s life course persistent offenders?

Answer 60

They are a small group that engages in antisocial behavior at every life stage, influenced by early neuropsychological issues.

Question 61

What prenatal and postnatal factors influence early delinquency?

Answer 61

Prenatal factors include maternal drug use and complications during birth, while postnatal factors include lack of affection and child abuse.

Question 62

How do adolescent limited offenders differ from life course persistent offenders?

Answer 62

Adolescent limited offenders engage in delinquency during adolescence but desist as they transition into adulthood.

Question 63

What is Walters’ cognitive restructuring?

Answer 63

Walters’ cognitive restructuring connects impulsivity to specific thinking patterns and employs cognitive restructuring to address them.