Atavistic

• Lombroso


  Hailed as 'father of criminology', shifted emphasis in crime research away from a moralistic discourse towards a more scientific and credible realm (evolutionary influences and genetics)
• Lombroso's theory


  Heralded the beginning of criminal profiling and made a contribution to the science of criminology
• Credibility of atavistic form as an explanation of offending is increased
• Many of the features that Lombroso identified

  Are most likely to be found among people of African descent e.g. dark, curly hair
• This is a weakness of the approach due to the possibility of reinforcing racist attitudes within society
• This has negative ETHICAL IMPLICATION - reinforced stereotypes
• Greater awareness/sensitivity


  Positive changes in society and has long lasting impact
• Lombroso did not compare his criminal sample with a non-criminal control group
• It is possible that, had he done so, the significant differences in atavistic form that Lombroso reported may have disappeared
• Lombroso also failed to consider that many of the criminals he studied had suffered from a history of psychological disorders which may have confounded the findings
• Lombroso failed to use a control group in his study, and can't compare to gain valid conclusions
• Lombroso failed to recognise other causes of crime within his sample (most suffered psychological disorders- therefore biological reductionist as takes a narrow view towards criminal behaviour)
• Lombroso's theory is heavily nativist
• Lombroso claims certain skills and abilities are native and hard wired into the brain from birth suggesting it's genetically determined
• This is a weakness as it is stating that if someone has the genes to be a serial murderer they will be and also ignores environmental factors like poor diet that could lead to different physical characteristics