physiological

• cesaro lombroso (1876) stated that a criminal is a separate species that is between modern and primitive humans
• the physical shape of head and face determined the born criminal
• lombroso was an italian psychiatrist and his theories are no longer taken seriously, he shifted the study of criminal behaviour from moral basis to scientific, 'father of modern criminology'
• lombroso claimed criminality is heritable, they're biologically different from non-criminals and could not adapt to modern reality, they're a primitive sub species
• lombroso argued criminal subtype could be identified by particular physiological markers which are biologically determined atavistic characteristics
• what are the physiological markers of criminality ?

  strong jaw, heavy brow, high cheekbones, asymmetry, large ears, extra nipples, high pain tolerance
• lombroso suggested different types of criminals had different features
• he claimed murderers have bloodshot eyes, long ears and curly hair
• sex offenders have thick lips, glinting eyes and protruding ears
• lips of fraudsters were thin
• lombrosos evidence came from study of facial and cranial features of hundreds of italian convicts
• critique of lombroso ?

  ethnocentric sample, other cultures carry different features, he was studying the poor whos physical developments had been affected by poverty meaning their features may be a result of malnutrition and not criminality
• critique of lombroso ?

  he used no control groups so he cannot tell if criminality is due to looks or other factors
• why is lombroso reductionist ?

  cause and effect, the physical features he associated with criminality may of been due to environmental factors, this means there is a cause and effect issue
• contradictory evidence ?

  goring (1913) compared physical measurement of 3000 english convicts and non-convicts, no support was found that offenders are a distinct species with unusual facial and cranial characteristics
• reductionism is the idea that a theory only takes one component into account
• lombrosos was reductionist as he only took phenotypes into account when explaining criminality, a better explanation is diathesis stress model where all behaviour is the product of genetic vulnerability and environmental trigger
• william sheldon 1949 wrote what ?

  the varieties of delinquent youths
• william sheldon stated what ?

  somatype is a key determinant for your behaviour
• theres three somatypes, ectomorph, endomorph and mesomorph
• endomorhphic people tend to be social and relaxed
• ectomorphic people are introverted and restrained
• mesomorphic tend to be aggressive and adventurous
• sheldon believed body build is linked to personality and temperament
• sheldon claimed mesomorphs are more prone to criminal activity than the other two types
• what did sheldon look for ?

  correlations between temperment and body type, delinquency and body type
• sheldon procedure?

  assessed body types of 200 college students and 200 delinquents each photo was rated on a scale of mesomorphy (muscular) on a scale of 1-7
• sheldon results ?

  students had an average mesomorph of 3.8 whereas delinquents had 4.6, this supports sheldons claim about the link between body type and criminality
• supporting sheldon ?

  reanalysis ny Hartl et al (1982) found the most seriosuly delinquent of sheldons sample had a mean mesomorphy rating of five adding further support, a number of other studies have also confirmed there is a small assosciation between bodily build and criminality, this could be as mesomorphic build reflects high testosterone levels
• sheldon critique ?

  reductionist as it only looks at biological factors, the judicial system may treat the more harshly increasing the likelihood of being named criminal, therefore the body may not cause it it may be the social reaction
• why is sheldon reductionist ?

  claims only biological factors influence criminality but research has fond the environment also effects criminal behaviour, diathesis stress model is a better explanation as it takes genetic vulnerability and environmental factors into account
• sheldon case study ?

  john wayne gacey- does not fit as he is fat (endomorph)
• lombroso case study ?

  ian brady does not fit the markers of criminality apart from long ears