Physiological

• Sheldon’s study (physiological)


  He used a correlation study that found many criminals prone to committing violent and aggressive acts were mesomorphic and the least likely to be were ectomorphic. He examined the front, side and back views of 4,000 scantily clothed man and put forward three fundamental body types. Endomorph, ectomorph and mesomorph. Using a correlation study Sheldon found that violent and aggressive criminals were most likely to be Mesomorphic and least likely to be Ectomorphic. This study could not explain how ectomorphs and endomorphs can also be criminals.
• Lombroso‘s theory of criminality (physiological)


  Physical characteristics and abnormalities make some people more likely to commit crime than others. For example long jaw, thick lips, big ears. He claimed criminality was heritable and those who committed crimes had ‘atavistic’ or primitive features. Lombroso suggests that other signs of criminality included insensitivity to pain, use of slang, tattoos and unemployment. He examined the features of 383 dead criminals and 3839 living ones and concluded that 40% of criminal acts could be accounted for by atavistic features.
• Evaluate Lombrosos theory of criminality (physiological)


  This theory attempts to explain that people are born criminal and are unable to change. It opened up the study of criminality and the idea that someone could be born criminal. It challenged the idea that criminals choose to be criminal. Not everyone with atavistic features is a criminal and not all criminals have them. Finally this theory is no longer accepted and is disproven.
• Evaluate Sheldon’s theory of criminality (physiological)


  Other studies have confirmed a link between body type and criminality. Sheldon used a sample of 200 and a control group of non offenders to compare results to. It showed criminal groups to be more mesomorphic. By grading on a scale of mesomorphism is subjective and could vary if someone else did it. It doesn’t explain why mesomorphs don’t commit crime or why other body types do. Peoples body types aren’t fixed and change throughout their lives. Mesomorphs could be stereotyped by the police and therefore treated more harshly.