Other
Biological theories of criminality
- Course
- Institution
Notes on the biological theories of criminality including evaluation points
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
alishamansell
Content preview
Theories of criminologyBiological
Lombroso
- He argues that you are ‘born criminal’ and therefore cannot be changed/
rehabilitated. This led to the policy the death penalty.
- He argued Criminals were like the primitive man and had atavistic features
- Large jaw
- protruding forehead
- long arm span
- big lips
His study:
He conducted a study in 1876 where he examined the skull and facial features of
over 4000 convicts in a prison. He found that 40% had atavistic features
Evaluations
Strengths Weaknesses
- Lombroso was the first criminologist - Failed to have a control group to
to study crime scientifically compare his findings
- It is objective with evidence - Not all people with atavistic features
- Supporting evidence- Butcher and are criminals
Taylor - Too simplistic
Sheldon
Sheldon looked at the correlation between body types and criminality.
He argued there were three somatotypes in terms of body types
- Ectomorphs- Small and delicate
- Endomorphs- Big and round
- Mesomorphs- Muscular
-
He argued that each body type had their own personality
- Ectomorphs- Quiet and restrained
- Endomorphs- Sociable and joyful
- Mesomorphs- Competitive and dominant
His study:
He looked for a link between body types and delinquency
He looked at the somatotypes of 200 college students and 200 delinquents from
photographs and rated them on a scale of 1 to 7
He found that the mean mesomorph rating for students was 3.8, whilst the mean
mesomorph rating for delinquents was 4.6 which supports his idea of a link between bodies
and criminality.
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller alishamansell. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $6.00. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
82956 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now