What makes a Criminal?

• PHYSIOLOGICAL: What was Lombroso's Atavistic form theory?


  • First to study crime scientifically
  • Argued criminals were physically different
  • Looked at skulls of 4000 criminals and 400 dead ones measuring and recording details and found criminals have a strong prominent jaw, reedy lips, glossy eyes and asymmetrical faces

  Atavistic Form / Theory:

  • Criminals are subspecies of genetic throwbacks due to their facial features and cannot conform to rules of modern society
• PHYSIOLOGICAL: What was Sheldon's somatotype theory?


  Somatotype Theory:

  • Mesomorphs are more likely to be a criminal because they are muscly which is associated with aggressive behaviour
  • Studied photos of 4000 men compared to sample of photos from college students and delinquents and rated them on a scale of 1 to 7 for resemblance to mesomorphy
  • Delinquents had higher mesomorphy ratings
• PHYSIOLOGICAL: What was Brunner's genetic explanation?

  Genetic explanation:

  • Claimed a gene for crime had been discovered in research paper by Brunner, which was a media sensation – this was just a headline to sell more papers
  • Brunner emphasised the association between genes and crime
  • Discovered a mutation in gene that should produce MAOA, so affected males produce no MAOA – Brunner syndrome
  • Lack of MAOA means more serotonin which increases susceptibility to antisocial traits and aggression and a risk factor for criminal behaviour
• PHYSIOLOGICAL: What was Choy's heart rate theory?

  Heart rate:

  • Low resting heart rate explains relationship between gender and crime
  • 894 ppts and measured heart rate at 11 years old
  • Self reported and official conviction records for overall offending at 23 years old
  • Found resting heart rate accounted for 5-17% of gender differences in crimes e.g. violence and drugs
  • Low resting heart rate could be an early biological marker for gender gap in later criminal behaviour
• NON PHYSIOLOGICAL: What did Farrington say about family influencing crime?


  Family:

  • Criminal behaviour influenced by family life
  • Studied 411 males from working class of inner city London age 8, interviewed from 8-48 and asked about living circumstances, tested at school for attainment, criminal records established from boys self report of offending and central Criminal Record Office, interviews with parents to discover details about family incomes, attitudes etc
  •  Factors for offending: loss of mother, family criminality, tendency towards daring beh., low school attainment, poor parenting
• NON PHYSIOLOGICAL: What was Sutherland's Differential Association Theory?


  • Crim behaviour learned through interaction with others
  • Attitudes, motives and techniques for crim behaviour are learned through interaction between family, close friends or groups
  • People acquire norms and values of criminal group which can predict whether individual will follow criminal path
  • Important aspect is frequency and intensity of interaction with people who have pro criminal attitudes
  • Longer a person is exposed to criminal norms and values and the age which the interaction began explain crim activity
• NON PHYSIOLOGICAL: How did Kohlberg explain criminal behaviour?


  Stages of moral development:

  • In the preconventional level people behave well to avoid punishment as individual outcome good rather than because society views that behaviour as wrong

  Palmer + Hollin:

  • Compared moral reasoning in male delinquents and female non delinquents using Socio reflection Measure short form which had 11 questions on moral dilemmas
  • Delinquents showed less mature moral reasoning (precoventional level)
  • Shows distinct differences in moral reasoning with young males showing least mature reasoning