lombroso

• Key idea

  Lombroso argues that criminals are physically different from non-criminals
• Strength of Lombroso

  • Lombroso was the first person to study crime scientifically. Previously, crime was seen as a moral or religious issue
  • showed the importance of examining clinical and historical records of criminals
  • took some limited account of social and environmental factors
  • helps us to focus on how we might prevent further offending rather than simply punishing offenders
• Limitations of Lombroso

  • Research since lombroso has failed to link between facial features and criminality
  • failed to compare his findings on prisoners with a control group of non-criminals
  • By describing criminals as ‘primitive savages‘. Lombroso equates non-western societies with criminals. a form of racism