criminology - unit 2 - biological

what did Lombroso suggest

criminality is inherited - someone is born criminal and can be identified by the way they look

what is atavistic form

pre-social characteristics of individual

features of a murderer

cold glassy stare, big nose, curly hair

features of a sex offender

thick lips, protruding ears, curly hair

one strength of lombrosos theory (evidence)

examined face features of 383 dead+ 383 living Italian criminals, found 40% had atavistic features

one weakness of lombroso (evidence)

no control group in study

one strength of lombroso (china study)

AI correctly identified 83% of criminals when given pics of ppls faces

one weakness of lombroso

theory is racist as he identifies criminals as ppl with traits associated with race

what did sheldons theory suggest

an individuals somatotype is liked to likelihood of criminality

whats an endomorph

overweight bodytype, they are sociable and friendly, less likely to engage in crime

whats an ectomorph

thin and fragile bodytype, often anxious and introverted, unlikely to be criminal

whats a mesomorph

fit and athletic bodytype, dominant and aggressive personality, most likely to be criminal

one strength of sheldon (evidence)

4000 photos of men, college students rated who they thought were criminal, rated mesomorphs as criminal

one weakness of sheldon (evidence)

study is androcentric

one weakness of sheldon

dont account for body shape changing overtime due to envt factors e.g. exercise+diet

what does jacobs XYY theory suggest

criminality is a result of an extra Y chromosome- genetic mutation at conception

how often does XYY occur

1 in 1000 births

what are ppl with XYY called and why

supermales due to heightened male characteristics, aggression and risk taking tendencies

one strength of XYY (example)

individuals such as Ted Bundy show traits of XYY

one strength of XYY (study)

Jacob et al study suggested in prison pop 15 per 1000 have XYY

one weakness of XYY

it focuses too heavily on genetics

another weakness of XYY

theory us androcentric

monozygotic

identical twins - 100% genetics

dizygotic

fraternal twins - 50% genetics

whats a twin study

where twins are compared on a specific trait to see how similar they are (if criminality is inherited)

what is the conc rate if criminality is genetic

MZ has a high concordance rate

what is the conc rate if criminality is environment

both MZ+DZ have high concordance rate

one strength of twin studies

evidence- christianson

MZ- 35% conc rate

DZ- 13% conc rate

-had scientific credibility

one weakness of twin studies

samples used in studies are usually small, so not representative

(adoption) if genes are the reason for criminality

bio parent = same as adopted child

(adoption) if envt is reason for criminality

adopted parent = same as adopted child

one strength of adoption studies

Hutchings+ Mednick

if bio child + parent had conviction = 20%

if adopted child + parent had conviction = 14.7%

one weakness of adoption studies

children may be adopted into families similar to bio - so envt influence may be similar

what does the prefrontal cortex do

higher order thinking, planning and impulse control

what did Raine find in murderers compared to non murderers

Lower activity in the prefrontal cortex and an imbalance in the amygdala

What was found from studies on prisoners (brain)

Most prisoners have had a traumatic brain injury - may have contributed to criminality

example of someone who suffered a brain abnormality

Charles Whitman- killed wife, mother and shot at uni campus- found tumour pushing on amygdala

Strength of brain injury and abnormality (case)

Real life cases such as Charles Whitman support

Strength of brain injury and abnormality

Abnormal activity in the brain has been found to correlate with psychopathic criminality

Weakness of brain injury and abnormality (research)

Research is not conclusive - high activity in brain also found in mh conditions

Weakness of brain injury and abnormality

Could be possible that brain injuries occur because of crime, rather than brain injuries causing crime

What is the hormone for biochemical and where is it found

Testosterone, found in the body

What are heightened levels of testosterone associated with

Increased aggression, impulsiveness and risk taking tendencies

What did Ellis and Coontz find

Testosterone levels peak from puberty- early 20s, this age range correlates with highest rates of crime in males

Testosterone mice experiment

Mice injected with testosterone, were aggressive to other mice

What is the neurotransmitter for biochemical and where is it found

Seretonin, found in the brain

What does serotonin do

It’s the happy chemical, carries messages between nerve cells in the brain

What happens if serotonin is too high/ low

Causes physical or psychological problems

What do high levels of serotonin cause

Anti social behaviour (Raine)

strength of biochemical

research that links biochemistry to criminality - crim justice system recognises

weakness of biochemical

not all offenders have chemical imbalances