CRJS 240: Test 1 Presentations

Cesare Lombroso

Criminologist, founder of Criminal Anthropology

Phrenology

Pseudoscience that claimed a person’s character and tendencies, including criminality, could be determined by the shape and bumps of their skull.

Scientific Rigor

Doing research in a very careful, precise, and honest way — using reliable methods, checking results, and avoiding bias so the findings can be trusted

Atavism

The idea that some people show traits from earlier stages of human evolution

Determinism

The belief that human behavior is controlled by internal or external forces—like biology, psychology, or environment—rather than by free will or personal choice.

Bio-social Theories

Explain crime by looking at how biology and environment work together to influence behavior

What were some of the key physical traits that Cesare Lombroso thought to be linked to criminals?

Lombroso relied on racist stereotypes, often singling out characteristics like “Oblique eyelids”(Mongolian) or “the projection of the lower face…in negroes”. Lombroso also concluded that criminals had ape-like features, such as large protruding jaws and high cheekbones.

What did phrenologists believe about the brain/skull?

It was composed of distinct zones, each corresponding to specific aspects of personality and character. A bump on the skull meant that the trait was highly developed, while a dipped area meant that the trait was underdeveloped.

Murder Act of 1752

British act that gave scientists the chance to closely study their skeletons, sparking interest in whether criminals’ bodies were the same as the general population or showed unique traits.

What were the critiques of Lombroso’s research?

Lacked scientific rigor, racist and sexist bias, deterministic thinking, disproven by modern science, and dangerous applications

How did the research of phrenology shift over time?

Lacking scientific rigor and had bias → testable science → combined biology and environment with theories and evidence-based methods

What were some of the theoretical applications of Lombroso’s studies?

Determinism and positivism

What is the conclusion of the Lombroso presentation?

Importance of scientific rigor, flawed ideas shaped stereotypes, early ideas were steppingstones, and even flawed science shaped modern criminology

What is the Jim Twin Experiment?

Twins who grew up separately that were a part of the Minnesota study of twins reared apart. They became the most famous case study in twin research with incredible similarities the begged the question, how much of criminal behavior is determined by genetics versus environment?

What, in terms of theories, does the Jim Twins Case Demonstrate?

Positivism (Identical genetic makeup led to similar behavioral outcomes), twin studies, sociobiology (evolutionary factors like male-male competition shape behavioral tendencies), biosocial criminology (the MAOA gene), and genetic determinism

What is the key insight about the Jim Twins case?

Biology provides the template; environment shapes the expression

What is the conclusion for the Jim Twins case?

We are neither servants to our genes nor purely products of our environment—we are complex interactions of both nature and nurture

What was the bike path killer?

In Buffalo, NY Altemio Sanchez was known for stalking and attacking women on the bike path connected to the university as well as other parks around the area

What was the bike path killer’s past like?

He was abused by his mother and her boyfriend, his father cheated with a prostitute, was afraid of women, and arrested for prostitution twice

What are the theories connected to the bike path killer’s case?

Biological determinism (impulse control issues or mental issues passed down from parents) and hedonistic calculus (acted on impulse without understanding risks)