Lombroso Flashcards
Is this theory genetic or physiological?
Physiological
What is the name of the theory?
Lombroso’s physiological theory
What does Lombroso say criminal start life as?
They are ‘born criminal’
What are criminal features describes as?
Atavistic and primitive
Name 3 criminal features.
Large jaw, asymmetrical face and large ears
Criminal are a separate ______ from the modern ‘___________ _____’
species, normal man
Is crime a free choice?
No it’s pre-determined
He uses the idea of the what?
criminal body
What did he use for his study?
Corpses and living criminals as well as dead soldiers
What percent of offenders had atavistic features originally?
90%
What percent of criminals did he later change his answer to?
70%
What did he admit after his study?
Individuals may be ‘pulled into crime’
Why did he use inmates and soldiers?
Extreme criminals and non-criminals
What were the strengths of this theory?
He used over 800 criminals’ corpses ( good proportion).
90% of the offenders had atavistic features ( his theory is accurate).
He used the military to ensure that the comparison was to non-criminals.
What were the weaknesses of this theory?
Using corpses ignores other factors that may contribute to crime as they can’t explain themselves.
He later admitted that it was only 70% (untrustworthy).
He used the military so he can’t generalize this study to the public
Scientifically racist
