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• In the 1870s, Lombroso suggested atavistic form as a biological explanation of offending.
• Atavistic Form


  Lombroso suggests that there are certain physical characteristics that people possess which indicates that they are more likely to commit crime. These features suggest that they are less-evolved than others and are in a more primitive stage of evolution, 'genetic throwbacks'. They were wilder, untamed and unable to fit into society so would inevitable turn to crime. This explanation suggests that criminality is inherited and can be identified by physical defects. He argued that criminal behaviour is determined by physiology.
• Lombroso's Criminal Characteristics: Murderer

  • Cold, glassy stare
  • Bloodshot eyes
  • Hawk-like nose
• Lombroso's Criminal Characteristics: Thief

  • Dexterity
  • Small, wondering eyes
  • Expressive face
• Lombroso's Criminal Characteristics: Female Criminals

  • Shorter than average height
  • Small skull
  • Dark hair
• Lombroso's research into the atavistic form

  Lombroso conducted an autopsy on an Italian arsonist and thief and found that he had an indentation in the back of his skull, similar to apes. This explained why criminals behave in more savage/primitive ways, because they are less evolved than others. Further examinations support this. He used the same scientific methods on 383 dead convicts and 3839 living convicts and concluded that 40% had atavistic characteristics.
• Lombroso's Research: Goring's Replication


  Goring replicated Lombroso's study and found no significant differences between physical characteristics between 3000 English criminals and 3000 non-criminals. Lombroso remains the founding father of modern criminology and his theory of a born criminal remained popular in early 1900s.
• Sheldon's Somatotype Theory (1)

  In 1949, Sheldon expanded Lombroso's study of facial relevance to full-body characteristics, suggesting that body type links to criminal behaviour.
• Sheldon's Somatotype Theory (2)

  Sheldon identified 3 body types defined by physical characteristics and proposed personality traits that they link to:

  • Endomorph; fat and soft - sociable, tolerable and relaxed
  • Ectomorph; thin and fragile - introverted, self-conscious and private
  • Mesomorph; muscular and hard - courageous, assertive and daring

  He suggested that those with a mesomorph body type were more likely to engage in criminal activity.
• Sheldon's Somatotype Theory: His Research

  Sheldon studied full-length pictures of 200 college students and 200 delinquents, rating how close they are to having a mesomorphic body type from a scale of 1, low, and 7, high. He found that delinquent males scored an average of 4.6 and college students scored an average of 3.8.
• Sheldons' Somatotype Theory: Research Support

  Glueck and Glueck: 1956

  • Studied 500 delinquent boys aged 7-11 and found they tended to be solid and muscular and extroverted, energetic and aggressive (mesomorphic)

  Farrington (2006)

  • Highlighted that boys with a high daring personality type were more likely to commit a crime.