CRIM 1650 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Craniometry, Criminology, Scientific Method

• School: York University
• Department: Criminology
• Course: CRIM 1650
• Professor: James Williams

Document Summary

Crime isn"t a choice, as it is for some people, a natural pre- disposition. Lombroso states that some people are simply born bad . Some peoples nature is simply in short term consequences and goals and they act impulsively and irrationally. Some people are born bad, some people have a greater predisposition for rule breaking. To these people the rules are a hindrance to achieving their objective. Deterrence only works for people who are naturally inclined to listen and accept the rules of society. A better unit of analysis to asses violent impulses, self centered actions, is not a rebellious teenager, but rather a 2 year old baby. *crime can be explained by studying differences among and between people. * this is important because the classic theory was concerned with the similarities between people. Two major perspectives within positivism: biological and psychological (this lecture is primarily concerned with the first)