Biological positivism

Robert Picktin

-killed 49 women

-low socioeconomic status women and indigenous women

-took longer for police to look into this issue because they were not a priority to the police

Russell Williams

-air force pilot 

-broke into homes and stole lingerie and tried it on

-sexually assaulted women

-killed women

Biological positivism

belief that there is some biological different which causes characteristics that can distinguished them from non criminals 

Craniometry

based on the belief that a person's skull perfectly conforms to their brain structure 

-size of skull matches the size of the brain

-large skull=large brain=superior

-small skull=small brain= inferior 

Phrenology

some runs their hands over someone’s head and checks for bumps or crevices, depending on where the bumps are could determine certain characteristics

-if someone used an area of their brain a lot it would be larger and would result in a bump 

Different faculties (regions) of the brain 

-35 faculties

-honesty,smart, artistic, musical, selfish, a good friend, stubborn, unreliable 

-used to predict potential behaviour

- bigger destructiveness – > murder

-bigger secretiveness → treason or fraud

-bigger combativeness → assault ot murder

-bigger acquisitiveness → theft or robbery 

Physiognomy

-based upon someone’s appearance specifically facial features

-if a person reassembled certain animals they were much more likely to engage in criminal behaviour

Charles Darwin

-theory of evolution 

-natural selection 

Social darwinism: the application of Dawin’s theory of natural selection to the evolution of human society 

-there are going to be groups in society that are superior but this is natural because its due to natural selection, some races and superior and will be dominated because they’re biologically meant to 

Ceasare Lombroso

-father of positivism criminology

-try to apply the scientific method to criminology 

-trained in medical science and used anthropometry: the study of body measurements

-examined and measured the skulls, facial features and the body structures of prisoners and compared them to soldiers and the general population 

-he performed autopsies on executed criminals and prisoners

-the skull of a criminal looked more like a skull of an ape not a human

-he concluded that criminals had different physical attributes compared to non criminals

L’Uomo delinquente (the criminal man) 1876

-developed theory that criminality is a result of atavism

Based on the idea that criminals are atavistic

Evolutionary throwbacks to an earlier stage of human development, much closer to primates than to humans

-criminals are not much as evolved

-they have defective genes and brains that cause them to: 

Live by their instincts 

Lack the ability to learn and follow rules (can’t learn by punishment) 

Conclusions: criminals are born, not made

Criminals are biologically predisposed to crime and cannot deviate from their natural tendencies 

The Atavistic criminal

How can the atavistic criminal be identified?

By their appearance 

Certain physical features indicate criminality 

–this is known as:

Stigmata 

Ex: unusual shaped head

-large jaw bone

Low sloping forehead

High cheekbones

Flatted or upturned nose

Small ears or very large ears

Bushy eyebrows

Full lips

Long arms

Bald or thin beard

Dark skin

Tattoos 

To be atavistic, the individual must have 5 or more stigmata

Expanded criminal typology

1. Criminal by passion

2. Insane criminal 

3. Occasional criminal 

1. Pseudo criminal- accident did not mean to do it or intended to do it because it was in self defense 

2. Criminaloid - commits crime because of opportunity

3. Habitual criminal - commits crime because of their environment 

Why do we call someone a cold-blooded killer?

-Humans are warm blooded, so those that commit crimes are “cold-blooded”, therefore unhuman or not human like

-compared to a crocodile 

-implies that the criminals biological response is different from humans 

Theory of Somatotypes

Wiliam Sheldon (1949)

• 3 different types of body types 

Endomorph (far right): 

• tends to have a physic on the heavier size, shorter size, not as muscular compared to the other types

• temperament/personality: viscerotonic (social, outgoing, extrovert, loves hanging out with people, relaxed, likes self indulging)

• Ex: homer simpson 

Mesomorph (middle)

• Much more muscular, athletic build, firm strong body, lower body fat count 

• Temperament: somatotonic: assertive, dominant, aggressive, competitive, active, restless, adrenaline likes physical activities, leader

• Ex: gaston 

Ectomorph (far left)

-taller, thin, lean, not much muscular or fat, narrow build 

Temperament: cerebrotonic: reserved, restrained, introvert, quiet, sensitive, socially awkward, artistic, creative, nervous 

Ex: Shaggy 

Mesomorph was more likely to be the criminal according to sheldon  

A criminal genotype (1961)

• Xyy syndrome- the “superman” theory due to extra y chromosome 

• XYY tend to be taller, learning disabilities, delayed speech, behavioural issues, more likely to have anxiety, depression and autism spectrum

• XYY males tend to be more aggressive and prone to criminal behaviour 

Aaron Hernadez

• Football player for the New England Patriots

• Convicted of killing a family friend and accused of killing another 

• CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy): brain injury that resulted from concussions from playing football 

• CTE symptoms; difficulty with impulse control, mood swings, increased frustration, struggling with concentration 

• overtime will get worse