SOC 2700 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Central Nervous System, Frontal Lobe, Meta-Analysis
10 Nov 2017
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Modern biological theories in criminology do not argue for biological determinism. These theories argue that certain biological characteristics increase the probability that individuals will engage in behaviors such as violent or antisocial behaviours that are legally defined as criminal or delinquent. Earliest biological theories in criminology emphasized physical appearance as the distinguishing mark of the criminal. Criminals were thought to be somehow different, abnormal, defective= inferior biologically. Phrenologist assumed that the shaped of the skull revealed the shape of the brain inside and that different parts of the brain were associated with different faculties or functions of the mind. Franz joseph gall (1758-1828): started publishing material on the relationships between head conformation and the personal characteristics of individuals. Cesare lombroso"s (1835-1909): relied on darwin"s theory of evolution to argue that criminals were biological throwbacks to an earlier evolutionary stage, people were primitive and less highly evolved than their noncriminal counterparts=atavistic.
