Lombroso

Question 1

Strengths of lombroso

Answer 1

Scientific approach with some evidence
* Found correlations between physical traits and criminality (3839
alive, 383 dead).

Question 2

Weaknesses

Answer 2

Many criminals don’t have atavistic features.
* Ethical issue: Promotes discrimination, similar to racist eugenics arguments.

Question 3

What policy?

Answer 3

Eugenics is the idea of improving the population by stopping people with
“undesirable” traits-like criminal behaviour-from having children.

Question 4

Is the policy effective?

Answer 4

Osborn & West found that sons of criminal fathers were more likely to become criminals, suggesting crime might be inherited.
Eugenicists used this to support their views.

Question 5

Policy- What theory is it based on?

Answer 5

It links to Lombroso’s theory of the “criminal man” — the idea that people are born criminals with inherited traits that lead to crime. Eugenics aimed to remove these traits from society.

Question 6

CORE

Answer 6

Evolution & Atavism:
criminals were atavistic, and their physical
characteristics demonstrated an earlier primitive
stage of evolution, unable to control impulses

Question 7

Expanded

Answer 7

Inherited criminality:
atavistic features were inherited, criminality was
passed down through generations. Physical
characteristics predictive of criminal behaviour

Question 8

Study- criminal man

Answer 8

Study on almost 4000 (3839) criminals (alive), almost 400 (383) (dead) - 40% of
criminal acts could be accounted for by physical
characteristics identified that criminal shared common
physical features e.g sloping forehead.