biological ex - atavistic form

Question 1

what is the historical approach of atavistic form?

Answer 1

Criminals are ‘genetic throwbacks’, primitive subspecies different from non-criminals.

Question 2

what is the biological approach of atavistic form?

Answer 2

Offending behaviour is innate, a natural tendency that the criminal cannot help and so should not be blamed.

Question 3

what is the atavistic form?

Answer 3

Cranial (head) features include narrow sloping brow, strong prominent jaw, high cheekbones and facial asymmetry

Question 4

what are the offender types?

Answer 4

Murderers had bloodshot eyes, curly hair and long ears. Sexual deviants had glinting eyes, fleshy lips and projecting ears. Fraudsters had thin lips.

Question 5

who proposed the atavistic form?

Answer 5

Lombroso (1876)

Question 6

what was Lombroso’s research?

Answer 6

Analysed the facial and cranial features of 383 dead criminals and 3839 living ones. Concluded that 40% of criminal acts could be explained by atavistic characteristics.

Question 7

ao3 conflicting research?

Answer 7

limitation
Goring (1913) compares 3000 offenders and 3000 non-offenders, no evidence of a distinct offending group, cannot be distinguished

Question 8

ao3 supporting research? +cp

Answer 8

strength
Hooton (1939)- 12yr longitudinal study, 14000 male prisoners in 10 states, control group 3000 men, found criminals unattractive and degenerate.

cp- lombroso had no control group and confounding variables

Question 9

ao3 eugenics movement?

Answer 9

limitation-
1890’s , idea that desirable traits are inherited, so non-des shouldnt breed. Dangerous as racist and may cause ethnic cleansing as seen in Hitlers time, lombrosos theory supports it.