Atavistic form: an historical explanation

• Lombroso (1876) wrote a book which suggested that criminals were ‘genetic throwbacks’. He described criminals as sub-species were primitive and were biologically different to non-criminals. This theory was called the theory of atavistic form. Lombroso thought that offenders lack evolutionary development: their savage and untamed nature meant that crime was unavoidable for them. It was inevitable that they would commit crime. 

  Criminal behaviour was a natural tendency for them. It was innate
• He examined the facial and cranial features of people convicted of crime- both living and dead. The study of the body after death is called post-mortem. He took precise measurements of their skulls and other characteristics. This is called anthropometry. From this, he concluded that physical anomalies were associated with key indicators of criminality. 

  He concluded that 40% of criminal acts were attributed to the atavistic form. 
• Signs of criminality:

  Criminals cranial and physical characteristics: 

  Narrow, sloping brow, strong, prominent jaw, high cheek bones, facial asymmetrical, dark skin, extra toes, nipples or fingers 

  Murderers: blood shit eyes, curly hair and long ears.

  Sexual deviants: glinting eyes, swollen, fleshy lips

  Fraudsters: thin and reedy lips

  Other non-physical traits: unemployment, tattoos and use of criminal slang 
• Eugenics: the study of how to arrange reproduction within a human population to increase the occurrence of heritability characteristics regarded as desirable. Developed largely by sir Galton as a method of improving the human race, eugenics was increasingly discredited as a unscientific and racially biased during the 20th century, esp after h adoption of its doctrine by the Nazis in order to justify their treatments 

  • genetically ‘unfit’ people should be prevented from breeding. 
• Strength of the atavistic form is that lombroso has made a significant contribution to criminology. He is regarded as ‘the father of modern criminology’ and has been credited with making the shift from judging criminals as being immoral and weak minded, to a more credible and scientific realm that their genetic make up might be a factor to explain the our behaviour. This suggests he has had an important impact in the field of forensic psychology. 
• Weakness of the atavistic form is that Lombroso has been criticised for the underlying racist times. For example, De Lisi points out that many features that Lombroso describes as indicating criminal behaviour are more likely to be found in people of African descent. Furthermore, it lends support to eugenic philosophies as he was basically suggesting that African were more likely to be offenders, a view fitted 19th century eugenic attitudes. This suggests that his theories are controversial, and this has cast shadow over modern day criminology. 
• Weakness of the atavistic form is that it doesn’t take psychological factors into account. Lombroso’s work raises the question of whether criminals are born or made. The atavistic form suggests that crime has a biological cause, it is genetically determined. However, even if there are criminals who have some of the atavistic features that Lombroso suggested, this does not mean this is the cause of their offending. Facial and cranial differences may be influenced by other factors, such as poverty, or poor diet, rather than inherited. 
• Weakness of atavistic form is there evidence to contradict the link between atavism and crime. Goring set out to establish whether there was anything physically atypical about offenders. After conducting a comparison between 3000 offenders and 3000 non-offenders concluded there was no evidence that offenders are a distinct group with unusual facial and cranial characteristics (though he did suggest many people who commit crime have lower than average intelligence). challenges the idea offenders can be physically distinguished from rest of the population and therefore unlikely to be subspecies.
• Weakness of atavistic form its biologically reductionist. means theory is too focused on role of nature, fails to acknowledge the multiple influences on human behaviour. criminal behaviour covers a large spectrum. one level of explanation cant be used to explain it all. By only focusing on atavistic form, the explanation reducing criminal behaviour to one influence, rather taking holistic approach which be more appropriate. People commit crime for multiple reasons incl biology, societal pressures, material deprivation, focusing on one influence is a concern.