' Basing theories of crime on the individual characteristics of offenders is like blaming sick people for their diseases'
Many theories have been developed which address the issue of whether people are born criminals in terms of their physical, genetic, or psychological profile, Or whether as sociologists would argue criminals are made by the environment and circumstances which they encounter during their life. There have been theories put forward to suggest that a persons physical characteristics can determine how he/she behaves. The earliest theories were in the eighteenth century, Lavater study on physiognomy this suggests that you can tell persons character by their facial characteristics. Some of these finding still exist in modern day prejudices / old wives tales i.e. 'he's got shifty eyes.' Or his eyes are too close together' Later the study of phrenology also looked at the development of people's heads. Gall, did an extensive study of the brain and how the brain worked. He developed the theory that the lumps on the skull were where in some people certain areas of the brain were disproportionate and this caused the lumps. His study identified 26 functions of the brain and those relevant to criminology were destructiveness, secretiveness, acquisitiveness and combativeness. Lombroso an Italian doctor, while examining the skull of a criminal
However the Gluecks took their sample of delinquents from institutions and there is no account taken of institutionalisation on offending behaviour. Or how body types can affect parent's reactions/ bonding to their children. had the thought that the nature of criminology lay in atavism (an evolutionary throwback.) Environmental factors can also affect body types people who are poor may not be able to afford a balanced diet and this can affect growth. Lack of affection can also cause children to be small. Small children may also be the target of bullying which can later affect their confidence or cause them to fight back.
Some common words found in the essay are:
Y-chromosomes Females, Kretschmer Psychiatrist, Charles Goring, , Cortes Gatti, Lombroso Italian, Criminal Man', body types, physical characteristics, criminal behaviour, body shapes, natural parents, found criminals, criminals born, offending behaviour, characteristics found, developed theory, Lombroso English, physical genetic psychological, physical characteristics found, body shapes personalities, contact natural parents, studied 52 people,
Approximate Word count = 1837
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
