SOC 1500 Lecture 5: Crime Week 5 Notes

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Sociology
• Course: SOC 1500
• Professor: J.Bruce Morton

Document Summary

New perspective during the 19th century conceived human behavior to be determined by forces beyond the control of the individual. Crime was seen as behavior that could not be prevented by willpower. The positivist school of thought distanced itself from classical thinking primarily because the latter was considered unscientific for being based on unsystematic observation. The positivist school believed in the unity of the scientific method. Positivism: the application of the scientific method to the study of the human condition. Lombroso believes criminals are biological throwbacks or atavists, causes of criminal behaivour are rooted in biological makeup and those individuals who display visible primitive ape-like characteristics are specifically predisposed to cirme. Lombroso believes criminals have a small sloping forehead with large protruding ears, likely to have bumps on their head, large eye sockets, beady eyes, strong jaw, bushy eyebrows and high cheekbones, therefore criminals were born not made.