Biological Explanations of offending (Atavistic) Flashcards
What is the atavistic form?
A biological approach to offending that attributes criminal activity to the fact that offenders are a genetic throwback or primitive subspecies.
What are some of the characteristics of Lombroso’s atavistic form?
Narrow sloping brow, strong prominent jaw, ears of unusual size, facial asymmetry, insensitivity to pain, unemployment
What did Lombroso say about why people commit crime?
People are born with a criminal personality (innate).
They are a throwback to a more primitive ancestor.
What did Lombroso base his theory off?
was based on research that examined the features and measurements of nearly 4000 criminals, as well as the skulls of 400 dead criminals.
Did Lombroso believe the people are responsible for committing crime?
No, he believed it was not the fault of the criminal as they were born this way- as a primitive evolutionary throwback
Why has Lombroso been coined the father of modern criminology?
Credited as shifting the emphasis in crime research away from a moralistic discourse (where offenders were judged as being wicked and weak-minded) towards a more scientific and credible position (of evolutionary influences and genetics where individuals are not to blame)
What may Lombroso have also contributed towards?
Offender profiling
Why has Lombroso been criticised for being scientifically racist?
Attention has been drawn to the racist undertones within Lombroso’s work. Many of the features that Lombroso identified as atavistic (curly hair, dark skin) are most likely to be found among people of African descent.
How did Goring (2003) dispute Lombroso?
comparing 3000 offenders and 3000 non-offenders finding there was no evidence that offenders are a distinct group with unusual facial and cranial characteristics (though he did suggest that many people who commit crime have lower-than-average intelligence).
Why is the fact Lombroso couldn’t control variables with his own research on criminals brains and skulls?
no control group or accounting for confounding variables that might have equally explained higher crime rates in certain groups of people.
For example, research has demonstrated links between crime and social conditions such as poverty and poor educational outcomes (Hay and Forrest, 2009) – links that would often explain why offenders were more likely, for example, to be unemployed.
Why is cause and effect an issue with Lombroso?
Even if there 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.
