biological theory of crime

Topic:

Biological Theories of Crime

PREPARED BY

UMAIR

LEARNING OUTLINE:

The • Defi

The• Descr

CRIME

DefinitionBehaviour that breaks the formal laws of a

given society. The punishment of crime will be more severe than

the punishment of deviance.

Deviance

DefinitionDiffering from a norm or from the accepted

standards of a society.

ExampleWearing a chicken suit to work would definitely be an example of deviance, unless of course you're a

mascot.

Theories on Deviance & Crime

There are many different theories on what causes a person to perform deviant behavior including;

1. Classical School Explanations2. Psychological Explanations3. Sociological Explanations4. Biological Explanations

Classical Theory

Classical theory of crime reflects that humans

as individuals are independent and

hence the crime is committed by them.

After rationally and carefully calculating. That

committing of crime gives more of pleasure when

compared to pain.

The person should be punished according to the grade of crime

performed by him.

Psychological Theory Definition

Psychological theories of deviance use a deviant’s psychology to explain his

motivation or compulsion to violate social norms.

Sociological Theory

Definition.

Sociological theories of deviance are those

that use social context and social pressures to

explain deviance.

Biological Explanation of Crime

Following are some of the major biological explanations for deviant behavior

Cesare Lombroso

Theory

Y Chromosome

Theory

William Sheldon Theory

Cesare Lombroso (1835–1909)

Cesare Lombroso, born was an Italian criminologist, physician, and founder of the Italian School of Positivist Criminology Cesare Lombroso rejected the Classical School explanation, which believed that crime was a characteristic of human nature and instead believed that criminality

was inherited.


From this belief, he developed a Theory of Deviance. In which a person’s bodily constitution indicates whether or not an individual is a "born criminal. These "born criminals" are a throwback to an earlier stage of human evolution with the physical makeup, mental Capabilities and instincts of primitive man.


In developing his theory, Cesare Lombroso observed the physical characteristics of Italian prisoners and compared them to those of Italian soldiers.


Characteristics of Criminal:Cesare Lombroso concluded that the criminals

were physically different. The physical characteristics that he used to identify prisoners

included;

An asymmetry of the face or head Large monkey-like ears Large lips


Characteristics of Criminal: A twisted nose Excessive cheekbones Long arms Excessive wrinkles on the skin Large jaw Large chin


Lombroso declared that Males with five or more of these characteristics could be marked as born criminals.

Females, on the other hand, only needed as few as three of these characteristics to be born criminals.


Lombroso also believed that tattoos were markings of born criminals because they stood as evidence of both immortality and insensitivity to physical pain.

Y Chromosome Theory

The extra Y chromosome theory is the belief that criminals have an extra Y chromosome, giving them an XYY

chromosome makeup rather than an XY makeup, that creates a strong compulsion

within them to commit crimes.

Y Chromosome Theory

This person is sometimes called the "super male." Some studies have found that the proportion of XYY males in the prison population is higher than the general male population (1 to 3 percent versus less than 1 percent), however other studies don’t provide evidence that supports this theory.


Sheldon believed that people could be classified into 3 body shapes, which correspond with 3 different personality types.

Endomorphic (fat and soft) Ectomorphic (thin and fragile) Mesomorphic (muscular and hard)


Endomorphs are considered soft and fat. They are described as having a soft body, underdeveloped muscles, a round physique, and they often have difficulty losing weight.

Example John Goodman Roseanne Barr Jack Black

are all celebrities that would be considered endomorphs


Ectomorphs are thin and fragile. Their body is described as flat-chested, fragile, lean, lightly muscled, small shouldered, and thin.

Example Kate Moss Edward Norton Lisa Kudrow

Are all celebrities that could be described as ectomorphs.


Mesomorphs are muscular and athletic. Their body is described as hourglass shaped (female) or rectangular shaped (male), muscular, has excellent posture, gains muscle easily, and has thick skin.


Example Bruce Willis Sylvester Stallone (Rambo) Mesomorphs, according to Sheldon, are the most prone to commit crime.

What are the merits of these theories?

May explain the relationship between gender and crime.

Lack of Free Will.

‘Sick’ behavior rather than ‘bad’.

Most actions defined as deviant are carried out by people who are physically normal.

Biological approach doesn’t explain why crime is more likely to occur in western, urban areas.

THANK YOU !

biological theory of crime

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