Biological Theories Of Crime Flashcards
Lombroso said that crime was _______ meaning that features are passed down and people are ____ criminals.
inherited, born
Lombroso used the term ‘atavastic features’. What did this mean?
Criminals exhibit atavastic features which means people have facial features linking to criminality
Who did Lombroso carry out his study on?
Imprisoned or executed/deceased criminals
What part of the body did Lombroso study?
He examined the facial and cranial features of criminals
List 3 atavastic features that criminals were said to have
High cheekbones, low forehead, large ears, large jaws, long arms, short legs, eyebrow arches, tattoos
What is a strength of Lombroso?
Reliable, could be looked into further and encourages more research
What is a weakness of Lombroso?
No responsibility taken for behaviour, non-criminals could exhibit atavastic features, leads to stereotypes and discrimination
Sheldon said that criminal behaviour is linked to _____ _____
physical form
What did Sheldon study?
People having different stomatotypes and the link to behaviour
Who did Sheldon carry out his study on?
Men who weren’t dressed, studied photographs of different angles of there body
What were the 3 stomatotypes Sheldon decided?
Ectomorph, endomorph and mesomorph
What stomatotype is least criminal and description of this body type and personality traits?
Ectomorph
Thin and lean, slim, small joints, not much body fat
Anxious, self-conscious, quiet, emotionally restrained
What stomatotype is most criminal and description of this body type and personality traits?
Mesomorph
Medium build, muscles, strong and solid, rectangular shaped
Adventurous, assertive, competitive, fearless, aggressive
What is a strength of Sheldon?
Statistics show criminals are more likely to be mesomorph, more found in delinquents
What is a weakness of Sheldon?
Peoples body’s change through their life so can’t be a reason for criminality, ignores other reasons
