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Topic 2.1 biological theories of criminality - Coggle Diagram

- - - - Criminals were physically different from non
    - - Measurements and details of heads and faces of thousands of prisoners
    - - Criminals could be identified by their distinctive physical features such as enormous jaws, high cheek bones, handle shaped ears, prominent eyebrows arches, long arms, large eye sockets and extremely acute eye sight
    - - Throwbacks to an earlier, primitive stage for evolution. They were pre-social, unable to control their impulses and had a reduced sensitivity to pain (tattoos)
        
        Why were criminals like savages?
        
        (tattoos) In a more primitive society, they would be normal, but in a modern society they are abnormal
        
        Why lombroso thought that people were born criminals?
        
        We could identify scientifically by reading their bodies the physical characteristics that marked them out as different. 'we are normal and the criminals are abnormal and fundamentally different to us
        
        Two other types of criminals that lombroso identified
        
        Insane criminals
        
        Epileptic criminals
  - - - Physically different from non-certain body types or somatotypes are linked to criminal behaviour
    - - Endomorphs
        
        Rounded, soft and tending to fat, lacking muscle or tone with wide hips. Their personality is sociable, relaxed, comfortable and outgoing
      - Ectomorphs
        
        Thin and fragile, lacking both fat and muscle. They are flat chested, with narrow hips and shoulders, a thin face and high forehead. Their personality is self conscious, fragile, inward looking emotionally restrained and thoughtful
      - Mesomorphs
        
        Muscular and hard bodied, with very little fat and strong limbs, broad shoulders and a narrow waist. Their personality is adventurous, sensation seeking, assertive and domineering and they enjoy physical activity
    - - Mesomorphs - more likely to be attracted by the risk - taking it involved and their imposing physique and assertiveness can be important asserts in crime
- - - - Researchers have used adoption studies to test for a genetic cause of crime. These studies compare adopted children both to their biological birth parents and to their adopted parents.
    - - The thinking behind adoption studies is that an adoption child (especially if adopted soon after birth) share the same environment as their adoptive parents, but the same genes as their bio-logical parents. If we find that the adopted behaviour in regard to criminality is more similar to their birth parents behaviour, this would support a genetic explanation.
    - - Examined data on over 14,000 adopted sons in Denmark from 1924 to 1947, they found that sons were more likely to have a criminal record if a birth parents also have a record (concordance rate of 20%). This supports a genetic explanation, by contrast they found that a smaller proportion (14.7%) had a criminal record if their adoptive parent had one.
  - - - Family member- who are blood relatives share many of the same genes. - therefore if one member has 'criminal genes' : it is likely that his or her blood relatives will have them too. - this is why criminals have relatives who are also criminals
    - - Used studies of identical twins as a way to test their theory of criminality.
        
        This is because identical or monozygotic twins share exactly the same genes - both developed from the same fertilised egg
        
        Therefore if one twin is criminal the other twin ought to be criminal too
    - - 3,586 twin pairs
        
        52% concordance rate between MZ twins that is where one identical twin had a conviction, there was a 52% chance of the other twin also having a conviction
        
        But among non identical twins there was only a 22% chance
    - - A similar study by Ishikawa and Raine found a 44% concordance rate for identical twins but only 21.6% for non identical twins
  - - - Abnormality of the sex chromosomes is another possible genetic cause of criminality. Chromosomes are made of DNA and protein, and they are found in the nuclear of our cells. Each chromosomes contain many genes. Chromosomes carry all the genetic information that we inherit from our parents.
        
        How many chromosomes do humans normally have
        
        46 chromosomes arranged in 23 pairs
      - What sex chromosomes do a, females and b, males possess and which parent are they inherited from
        
        Female
        
        two Xs one from each parent. If we have XX we will be a female
        
        Male
        
        X from our mother and a Y from our father. If we have an XY we will be male. It is the Y chromosome that makes the child a male.
    - - One abnormality is an extra Y chromosome. This is known as XYY syndrome and has been labelled as the super male syndrome.
        
        Men with the XYY syndrome tend to be very tall and well built and of low intelligence.
        
        Jacob et al claim that men with XYY syndrome are more aggressive and potentially violent that other males
    - - based on studies of imprisoned criminals, such as those in secure psychiatric hospitals, where a higher than average proportion of the inmates were found to have XYY syndrome.
        
        Many had histories of aggression and violent assault. Price and what more found XYY males tend to be immature and unstable with a strong tendency to commit seemingly motiveless property crimes.
- - - - Railway worker, Phineas Gage, whose personality changed after a major brain injury
      - Some studies have shown that prisoners are more likely than non prisoners to have suffered brain injuries
  - - - Among children were linked to destructiveness. Impulsiveness, arson and abnormal sexual behaviour
    - - Senile, dementia, huntington's disease and brain tumours - various forms of deviant or antisocial behaviour
    - - EGG- Electroence phalograph
      - criminals that have been found to have abnormal brainwave activity
        
        Murderers and psychopathic criminals
- - - - Males overproduction or under production of hormones may cause emotional disturbances that lead to criminal behaviour. Males are more aggressive than females
        
        Ellis and Cootnz - Testosterone levels peak from puberty to early 20s and age range correlates with the highest crime rates in males
    - - Females pre menstrual tension, post natal depression and lactation have all been accepted as partial defences for women charged with crimes ranging from shoplifting to infanticide on the grounds that the hormones involved have affected the defendants judgement, mood or self control
  - - - Low blood sugar can trigger aggressive reactions. Studies show a link between low blood sugar and alcohol abuse. Drinking large quantities of alcohol can induce hypoglycaemia and increases aggression.
        
        Alcohol is linked closely to crimes of violence.
  - - - Involves the intake of drugs and other substances. Some are legal (eg alcohol and glues) or medically prescribed (barbiturates), while others are illegal (eg, cannabis, mdma, LSD, Heroin and cocaine), sounders calculated that alcohol played a significant role in about 1000 arrests per day.
        
        In the USA, Flanzer estimated that 80% of family violence cases involved alcohol, cocaine and crack are also closely linked with violence, whereas cannabis, heroin, moma tend to reduce aggression.
  - - - These include food additives and diet, allergens, vitamin deficiencies and lead pollution. They affect various biochemical processes in the body and this in turn can affect behaviour.
        
        Both lead and the synthetic food colouring tartraen have been linked with hyperactivity.
        
        Vitamin B deficiency has been linked to erratic and aggressive behaviour - link between substances and criminality is not clear.