Bio exp: Historical approach

• Atavistic Form def: Cesare Lombros (Italian Physician) wrote a book called 'The Criminal Man' and he suggested criminals were 'genetic throwbacks' - a primitive species biologically different from non-species.
• A biological approach - Lombroso proposed a new perspective - that offending behaviour was innate (rooted in genes), therefore was not to blame for their actions.]
• Offenders were seen by Lombroso as lacking evolutionary development - their savage and untamed nature meant that they would find it impossible to adapt to civilisation and society demands, therefore would turn to crime.
• Atavistic form - Lombroso argued the presence of physiological markers which were linked to a specific type of offence. They were characteristics and feature of mainly the head and brain.
• Cranial characteristics - The skull (took form in a narrow, sloping brow and a strong prominent jaw, high cheekbones and facial asymmetry), dark skin and extra body parts.
• Other non-innate aspects of cranial characteristics include insensitivity to pain, use of slang, tattoos and unemployed.
• Offender types - Murderers: Bloodshot eyes, curly hair, long ears.
• Sexual deviants: Deviant eyes, swollen, fleshy lips.
• Lombroso's research - Inspected facial and cranial features of hundreds of italian convicts (3839 living and 383 dead). Concluded that there was an atavistic form and these were all features of criminality. found 40% of criminal acts commited by people with atavistic characteristics.