SOC 2700 Lecture : Biology and Crime.docx

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Sociology
• Course: SOC 2700
• Professor: Scott Brandon

Document Summary

Some ties with biology and crime: believed males and females who got tattoos predicted their criminal behaviour, physical traits. Atavism as an idea: evolutionary throwback: criminals are lower on evolutionary scale, less developed, non-deviants have evolved, some people are born criminals, morally inferior. Who were considered atavistic: flat noses, hooked nose, few lines on palms of hand, short or long arms, short hands. Stigmata: term for certain physical characteristics of atavism: robbers have small, shifty, quick-moving eyes, bushy eyebrows, receding foreheads, thin beards, women more deceitful but have more self-control. Born criminal: lombroso"s classification of criminals. Prison: keeps criminals off the streets: origins of theories on biology and crime. Evolutionary theory: survival of the fittest. Physical traits and links to crime? (born criminals: born criminal theory: physiognomy. Facial features used to judge moral character. Nose, earlobes, eyes, chin lines, beards, etc: born criminal theory: phrenology. Founders: franz joseph gall (1776-1828) and johann casper spurzheim (1776-1832)