biological explanation for offending - atavistic form

1st biological explanation - historical approach: atavistic form

• atavistic theory (Lombroso): controversial idea about why people offend - believed some were born criminal because of their physical features that were like those of our more primitive ancestors : called these atavistic - men needed 5+ and women 3+ - thought these physical traits meant they were less evolved and more likely to commit crimes because they couldn’t adapt to modern society’s rules

• Murderers : bloodshot / piercing eyes, hooked nose, strong jaw, prominent cheekbones, long arms, scanty beard, baldness, insensitivity to pain, tattoos

• Thieves: small face, wandering eyes, long thin mobile fingers, scanty beard, flattened nose, expressive face, manual dexterity

Lombroso’s research

• method: 383 dead criminals and 3839 living criminals in Italy

• Procedure: lombroso meticulously examined their facial and cranial features, noting the number of physical anomalies they had

• Results: 40% of criminal acts are committed by people with atavistic features

Ao3 - supporting research for historical approach of atavistic form

• lombroso meticulously concluded these features were key indicators of criminality - lombroso examined skulls of 383 dead convicts and 3839 living ones, concl that 40% of criminal acts are committed by ppl with atavistic characteristics

• Research provided him with what he considered credible evidence for his theory and its links to criminality

Ao3 - methodological flaws with this research due to poor control and causation issues

• lombroso didn’t compare his offender sample with a control group - could have controlled for an assortment of confounding variables that may have explained higher crime rates in certain groups of people

• Could be suggested that Lombrosos methodology lacks any scientific rigour , given he hasn’t conducted the study basic scientific expectations of a control group - may be that non criminals have these physical traits / measurements too

• Suggests lombrosos study should be replicated with use of a control group in order to be taken seriously

Ao3 - limitation of atavism is scientific racism and its links to eugenics

• many of the features that lombrosos identified as atavistic ( curly hair, dark skin) are most likely to e found among people of African descent - he was suggesting Africans were more likely to be offenders - a view that fitted 19th century eugenic attitudes

• Suggests some aspects of his theory were highly subjective rather than objective, influenced by racial prejudices of the time - highly socially sensitive could be disregarded for its flagrant racism

• Lombrosos work may causes significant harm and unfair prejudice against minorities that will have a tangible and horrible impact