SOC 2700 Lecture Notes - Homicide, Twin Study, Craniometry

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

Document Summary

Biology and crime: cesare lombrosso (1835-1909) worked as a doctor with the italian military. Studied 3000 soldiers, along with mental patients and male and female prisoners and wanted to see if there was a different between them. Found that there are links between certain characteristics and criminal behavior in individuals. Concerned with the biological causes of crime: physical traits became the way to find deviance in individuals, along with various types of abnormalities in the deviant population. Negative, pessimistic views of people who have tendencies to become deviant. Categorization between soldiers, mental patients ect believed atavism was the missing link: it explains why we have deviance in society. Such as eyebrow shape, four lines above eyebrow, proceeding eyebrow. Atavism: physical traits, abnormalities in face and believed people were born criminals. ex: people who are labelled deviant are highly atavistic. People who are criminals have not evolved with the rest of society, savages.