Biological approch- Atavistic form

• Who is the main researcher and what was he known for?


  -Lombrosso

  -he was an italian physician

  -known as father of criminology
• What did Lombrosso suggest about criminals?

  -that criminals were "genetic throwbacks"- a primitive sub species who were biologically different from non criminaks
• How did Lombrosso see criminals as?

  -he saw criminals lacking evolutionary development
• How did lombrosso see criminal behaviour as?

  -he saw criminal behaviour as a natural tendency, rooted in the jeopardy of those who engage in it
• How did lombrosso identify criminal sub types?

  -Lombrosso argued that the criminal sub type could be identified as being in possession of particular physiological "markers" that were linked to particular types of crime
• What were the common markers of a criminal?

  -narrows sloping brows

  -strong prominent jaw

  -high cheeckbones

  -facial asymetrry
• What markers did murderers have?

  -bloodshot eyes

  -curly hair
• What markers did sexual deviants have?

  -glinting eyes

  -swollen fleshy lips

  -projecting ears
• What markers did fraudsters have?

  -thin and reedy lips
• What was Lombrosso research


  -examined facial and cranial features of hundreds of itialin convicts, both living and dead

  -examined the skulls of 383 dead animals and 3839 living ones

  -concluded that 40% of criminals acts are comitted by people with atavistic characterisitcs
• E-Strngth-Contribution to the science of criminology

  -contribution to science of criminology-holin

  -lombrosso is regarded as the father of criminology

  -theory is credited as shifting the emphasis in crime research away from moralistic discolsure towards a more scientifc and credible realm

  -increases validity
• E-Limitation-critised on sevral grounds


  -criticised on several grounds-goring

  -lack of adequate control as he did not compare his criminal sample with a non-criminal control group

  -reduce validity
• E-Limitation-Sceintifc racism


  -sceintific racism-delisi

  -many features lombrosso identified as criminal and atavitic such as curly hair and dark skin are most likely to be found in african descent

  -socially senitive implications
• E-Limitation-causation is an issue

  -causation is an issue

  -if there are criminals who have these features this does not mean this is a cause of offending

  -it may be influenced by other factors such as poverty or poor diet rather than an indication of delayed evolutionary development