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Biological Theories
Biological theories tended towards seeing crime as a form of illness, caused by pathological factors specific to certain classes of individuals bad behaviour vs sick behaviour How can we blame someone for being sick?
Biological Theories
The criminal is radically different from the non-criminal We can assume that some people are "born criminals Punishment is inapplicable
A choleric person has a "hot" temperament, is irritable and easily roused to anger A melancolic person is sensive and tends to feel sad A phlegmatic person is not easily aroused to excitement and lacks emotion expression A sanguine person is confident and optimistic
Criminal Type
Most defense attorneys coach their clients on how they should dress and groom themselves for court so jurors will get the impression they are not the type of a person who would commit a crime
Defective genes
Criminal Behavior
Lombrosos Theory
Bodily constitution indicates whether a person is a born criminal Born criminal violates the laws born criminal is an atavism (throwback to an earlier stage of human evolution) Physical makeup, mental capabilities, and instincts of primitive man
Lombrosos Theory
Observed the physical characteristics of Italian prisoners and compared them to Italian soldiers Concluded that criminals were physically different Lombroso presented a long list of physical characteristics used to identify criminals
Tattoos
Were significant to Lombroso Most of the born criminals had them Obscene nature of their depictions and messages Tattoos stood as evidence of both insensitive to physical pain and immorality
Criminal Women
Official records, according to which women had a far lower crime rate than men, can be misleading Women are less evolved: naturally vengeful and jealous, their moral sensibilities are deficient, less sensitive to pain than men
Lombroso
Born criminal is unsuited for society Inevitably violate social and legal rules Theories of genetic superiority call for policy in which whole peoples are to be eliminated from the genetic stock of the world in order to prevent crime Theories of individual genetic inferiority call for castration of those said to be habitual criminals in order to prevent their producing more defective children who, presumably will be criminals
Mug Shots
The mug shot originated in the 1880s, in studies designed to explore the relationship between appearance and criminal behavior These men are all forgers. The New York Police Department compiled this record in part to see if all forgers looked alike, or all murderers looked alike, or if all burglars had the same facial features
Critique of Lombroso
Theory overlooks the bright and handsome criminals Theory ignores those who are ugly and live lives of productive and cooperative labor Theory does not look at the variations over time in crime rates. Since genes change very slowly, there should be a steady rate of crime over the centuries. That is not the case. Crime rates vary dramatically.
Critique of Lombroso
He was studying the very poor - people whose physical development had been affected by poverty, poor nutrition Not everyone who breaks the law ends up in prison This type of theorising neglects the idea that there is a "grey area" of criminality people who commit crimes but who are not caught and therefore not imprisoned.
Body Types
Criminality is explained by reference to the offenders body types Genetics, or external observable physical characteristics
W. Sheldon (1898-1977)
Sheldon was an American psychologist who spent his life observing all the variety of human bodies As a child he was an avid observer of animals and birds, and as he grew up, this hobby turned into a strong ability to observe the human body. Three types of human body: Ectomorph: Endomorph: Mesomorph:
The ECTOMORPH
Definitive "Hard Gainer" Delicate Built Body Flat Chest Fragile Lean Lightly Muscled Small Shouldered Takes Longer to Gain Muscle Thin
Famous Ectomorphs
Lisa Kudrow, Kate Moss, Brad Pitt, Seth Green, Edward Norton
The MESOMORPH
Athletic Hard Body Hourglass Shaped (Female) Rectangular Shaped (Male) Mature Muscle Mass Muscular Body Excellent Posture Gains Muscle Easily Gains Fat More Easily Than Ectomorphs Thick Skin
Famous Mesomorphs
Bruce Willis, Sylvester Stallone
The ENDOMORPH
The body is round and soft The physique presents the illusion that much of the mass has been concentrated in the abdominal area. The hands and feet of the endomorph are comparatively small, and the upper arms and thighs are often more developed than the lower parts of the arms or legs. The body has a high waist The skin is soft and smooth, and the hair is fine The head is large and the face broad.
Famous Endomorphs
John Goodman, Roseanne, Jack Black
Questions/Problems
Maybe need a tough body to gain acceptance/survive on the streets. Body type and social meaning--the boys were already judged to be delinquent.