biological explanations- forensic psychology Flashcards
what is the historical approach
Lombroso wrote book suggested that criminals were genetic throwbacks- primitive subspecies who were biologically different from non criminals
Lombrosos theory of atavistic form would be best described as speculative and naive
what Lombroso thought
what is the biological approach
offenders seen by Lombroso lacking evolutionary development- savage and untamed nature meant that they would find it impossible to adjust to demands of civilised society and inevitably turn to crime
Lombroso saw offending behaviour as natural tendancy rooted in genes of those who engage in it
proposed new perspective that offending behaviour was innate and offender not to blame for actions
what is the atavistic form
offender subtype could be identified as being in possession of physiological markers that were linked to particular types of offence- biologically determined atavistic characteristics mainly features of the face and head that make offenders physically different from the rest of us
cranial- narrow sloping brow strong prominent jaw high cheekbones and facial asymmetry
dark skin existence of extra toes nipples or fingers
Lombroso suggested other aspects of born offender including insensitivity to pain use of slang tattoos and unemployment
what are the offender types
Lombroso categorised particular types of offender in terms of their physical and facial characteristics
murderers described as having bloodshot eyes curly hair and long early whereas sexual deviants had glinting eyes swollen fleshy lips and projecting ears and the lips of fraudsters were thin and reedy
what is Lombrosos research
meticulously examined facial and cranial features of hundreds of italian convicts both living and dead and concluded that there was an atavistic form
concluded that these features eere key indicators of criminality
Lombroso examined the skulls of 383 dead convicts and 3839 living concluded that 40% of criminal acts are committed by people with atavistic characteristics
what is Lombrosos legacy (historical explanations)
changed face of study of crime
lombroso hailed as father of modern criminology and credited as shifting emphasis in crime away from moralistic discourse towards scientific position- evolutionary influences and genetics where individuals not to blame
heralded the beginning of offender profiling
suggests lombroso made major contribution to science of criminology
DeLisi questionned whether lombrosos legacy entirely positive
attention drawn to racist undertones many of features identified as atavistic are likely to be found among people of african descent=more likely to be offenders
suggests some aspects of theory highly subjective rather than objective influenced by racial prejudices of time
what is contradictory evidence (historical explanation)
evidence contradicts the link between atavism and crime
Goring set out to establish whether anything physically atypical about offenders, after conducting comparison between 3000 offenders and 3000 non offenders he concluded that there was no evidence that offenders are distinct group with unusual facial and cranial characteristics but did suggest that people who commit crime have lower than average intelligence
challenges idea that offenders can be physically distinguised from rest of population and therefore unlikely to be subspecies
what is poor control (historical explanation)
lombrosos methods of investigation were poorly controlled
lombroso failed to control important variables within research
did not compare offender sample with non offender control group
could have controlled for assortment of confounding variables that might have equally explained higher crime rates in certain groups of people
research demonstrated links between crime and social conditions such as poverty and poor educational outcomes- links that would explain why offenders more likely to be unemployed
suggests lombrosos research doesnt meet modern scientific standards
what is nature or nurture (historical explanation)
lombroso work raises the question of whether criminals born or made
atavistic form suggests crime has biological cause- geneticallt determined
even if are criminals who have some of the atavistic features that lombroso suggested this does not mean this is the cause of their offending
facial and cranial differences may be influenced by other factors such as poverty or poor diet rather than inherited
what is the eugenics movement
Galton in 1880s generally cited as beginning of eugenics movement
galton heavily influenced by first cousin Darwin concept of survival of fittest became cornerstone of eugenics philosophy
galtons basic argument were people were not born equal
desirable human traists are inherited and found in some social and cultural groups more than others
those groups with genetic advantage should be allowed to breed for the good of society whilst those without genetic advantages should be prevented from breeding
what are genetic explanations
would be offenders inherit a gene or combination of genes that predispose them to commit crime
what are twin and adoption studies
Christiansen studied over 3500 twin pairs in Denmark and found concordance rates for offender behaviour of 35% for identical twins males and 13% for non identical males including twins born between 1880 and 1919
offender behaviour checked against danish police records, data indicates that it is not just the behaviour that might be inherited but the underlying predisposing traits
Crowe found adopted chuldren biological mother had criminal record had 50% risk of having criminal record by age 18 whereas adopted children biological mother didnt have criminal record only had a 5% risk
what are canditate genes
egentic analysis of 800 finish offenders by Tiihonen siggested two genes associated with violent crime
MAOA gene regulates serotonin in brain and has linked to aggressive behaviour and CDH13 gene linked to substance abuse and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
analysis found 5-10% of severe violent crime is attributable to MAOA and CDH13 genotypes
what is the diathesis stress model
tendency towards offending behaviour may come about through combo of genetic predisposition and biological or psychological trigger
if geentics have influence on offending at least partly moderated by efects of environment
what are neural explanations
evidence suggests that there may be neural differences in brains of offenders and non offenders
much of evidence has involved individuals diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder associated with reduced emotional response lack of empathy for feelings of others and condition that characteristics many convicted offenders
