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• However, there are issues with Lombroso’s research, it was pooryly controlled as he did not compare his sample of criminals with a control group. Therefore the atavistic features he claimed to be linked to crime could have been just as prevelant in the non criminal population. A further criticism is that there could be other causes of these facial and cranial features aside from just criminality, for example poverty or poor diet. This challenges the validity fo Lombroso’s research

  Charles goring did compare with a control group and found little differences in features
• • androcentric,
  • not directly study women beta biased
  • ‘theories’ about women based on traditional 19th century opinions not empirical evidence,
  • believed women -naturally jealous, passive, insensitive to pain, low intelligence.
  • maternal instinct - neutralises negative traits= less likely criminals,
  • in some scenarios women lower crime rates 98% of sexual assualts men however  This is not always the case .
  • Lombroso stated women with masculine characteristics creates a monster in a woman, fine in men.
  • androcentric and biased with ideas not applicable to females in modern society.
• More recent researchers have supported lombroso’s claim that certain physical characteristics are associated with criminality by also researching into certain bhody types. Glueck found delinquents were mesmorphs, equivalent to an athletic body type. Sheldon also studied 200 young adults and concluded there were differences between delinquents and non delinquents in body types. THis suppporys lombrosos ideas that criminals can be identified by physical characteristics. However a correlation with body type and physical characteristics doesnt imply a casual relationship.