Evaluation (AO3)

• Limitation: Biological Determinism (define it)

  • due to the scientific racism in Lombroso's theory could lead to discrimination
  • takes away personal responsibility from criminals -> rehabilitation
  • Eugenics (scientific theory of selective breeding) -> Lombroso's theory could be used to support such philosophies + therefore the idea that we should be restricting the diversity of the gene-pool in a specifically racist way
• Limitation: Biologically Reductionist (define it)

  • envirnoment + cognitions are among other factors that could contribute to the development of crinimal behaviour -> only 40% of criminals he studied show the atavistic form, therefore, has to be other factors not being considered
  • Diathesis Stress-Model could be a better alternative explanation ->individuals might have biological oredisposition for crininal behaviour but only through an evironmental stressor/traumatic event will this be triggered
• Limitation: Use of Correlational Research

  • can establish cause and effect (they only show assosiations between variables)
  • facial + cranial differences may be the cause of a 3rd variable e.g. poverty, poor diet etc.
  • suggests that if this is the case, its not the result of delayed evolutionary development
• Limitation: Generalisability

  • Lombroso's sample was Italian criminals
  • can't generalise the findings to wider pop. + therefore the theory lacks population validity -> physical features in different countries may differ, therefore, theory can only tell us about features of italian criminals