AC2.1

Question 1

What is the assessment criteria for AC2.1?

Answer 1

Describe the biological theories of criminality.

Question 2

What can biology influence?

Answer 2

Appearance
Behaviour
Health
Habits
Weight
Height

Question 3

Define physiology:

Answer 3

Features of the body which may be related to crime.

Question 4

Define genetics:

Answer 4

Explains traits inherited from one generation from the next.

Question 5

Define neurology (including physiological) :

Answer 5

Chemicals (neurotransmitters) and the structure of the brain.

Question 6

Who studied facial appearance? (Physiological theory)

Answer 6

Cesare Lombroso

Question 7

What did Lombroso believe?

Answer 7

He believed that criminals had failed to evolve at the same pace as the remainder of the human race.

Question 8

How did Lombroso say that criminals could be identified?

Answer 8

By their physical characteristics or their stigmata (blemishes) which indicated their biological inferior - their atavistic (primitive form)

Question 9

What are Lombroso’s characteristics for spotting criminals?

Answer 9

Large jaw
High cheekbones
Flattened or upturned nose
Handle-shaped ears
Large chin
Fleshy lips
Shifty eyes
Baldness
Scanty beard or bald
Long arms

Question 10

What are the strengths of Lombroso’s theory? (AC3.2)

Answer 10

> Some offenders do appear to have the atavistic features.
His work is also credited for starting early offender profiling
He shifted the focus from concentrating on the CJS to the offender themselves, concluding that crime is heritable.
He is seen as one of the founding fathers of modern criminology as he encouraged the interaction between biological, social and psychological factors in causing criminality.

Question 11

What are the weaknesses of Lombroso’s theory? (AC3.2)

Answer 11

> Lombroso viewed all women as more primitive, deficient and deviant.
Little evidence support Lombroso’s claims - lacks scientific rigour
Scientifically racists - many of the atavistic features are specific to people of African descent
Too deterministic - if you have an atavistic feature will you be criminal?

Question 12

Who studied body types?

Answer 12

Sheldon

Question 13

What are the 3 body types?

Answer 13

Endomorph - large, soft
Mesomorph - muscular, fit]
Ectomorph - skinny, frail

Question 14

What was Sheldon’s key finding?

Answer 14

He found there was a relationship between body shape and becoming criminal.
Mesomorphs pose the greatest threat of becoming delinquents and later criminals (60%)

He found this by comparing 400 boys in a residential rehabilitation home.

Question 15

What are the strengths of Sheldon’s theory? (AC3.2)

Answer 15

> Gluecks using Sheldon’s typology found 60% of the delinquent population to be mesomorphs and 30% endomorphs.
A La Corsini found a correlation between physical attractiveness and crime. (Correlation is a link, so if there is a link between criminal behaviour and attractiveness there could br a link between criminal behaviour and body shape.

Question 16

What are the weaknesses of Sheldon’s theory?

Answer 16

> Body shape can change over time
The judicial system may treat them more harshly increasing the likelihood that they will be labelled as criminal (Blackburn, 1993).
There is no scientific research to prove his theory and is based on bias.
It might be that a mesomorphic build reflects high testosterone levels, which may result in higher levels of aggression.

Question 17

What theories informing policy occurred in the 1970s (treatment)?

Answer 17

Several experimental programs offered facial reconstruction surgery to unattractive inmates. A study compared 400 men who received the surgery, counselling, both or neither.

Question 18

What effect has steroids have on the human body?

Answer 18

It increases violence as it increases testosterone levels

Question 19

What is serotonin?

Answer 19

A neurotransmitter that shapes our mood and fights off depression. It acts as a brake on our impulsive behaviour.

Question 20

What did Higely say about serotonin?

Answer 20

An imbalance of serotonin can lead to violent behaviour

Question 21

How are brains studied?

Answer 21

> PET scans (Positron Emission Tomography)
- They inject harmless radioactive chemical
- It enters the blood stream, and goes to the brain
- Blood goes to the brain where it is active
- The scanner picks up where the radioactive trace.

Question 22

What did Raine eat al (1997) study?

Answer 22

The brains of violent offenders by using PET scanning and compared them them with non-offenders.

Question 23

What happens if a person has a malfunctioning amygdala?

Answer 23

Violence is linked to unusual emotional responses, possibly a lack of fear.

It can be associated to with knife crime, 22% increase in knife crime in the UK.

Question 24

What happens if a person has a faulty hippocampus?

Answer 24

Their inability to learn from mistakes.

46% of all prisoners reoffend within a year of release

Question 25

What happens to a person if they have low activity in corpus callosum?

Answer 25

They have problems with spotting long-term consequences of behaviour.

38% of young offenders reoffend within one year.

Question 26

What happens when a person has a low activity in the pre-frontal cortex?

Answer 26

A lack of moral judgement and rational thought.

Radicalisation in prison is increasing (extremist views)