Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
UNIT 2 THEORIES OF CRIMINALITY - Coggle Diagram
UNIT 2 THEORIES OF CRIMINALITY
BIOLOGICAL THEORIES
Genetic theories
XYY theory
chromosomes consist of DNA material and protein, 23rd pair of chromosomes decides what biological gender you are
sometimes chromosome abnormalities can occur
down syndrome
turner syndrome
klinefelter syndrome (XXY)
super male syndrome (XYY)
characteristics
explosive temper
hyperactivity
defiance
antisocial behaviour
tall
hypertelorism - increased distance between body parts
neurological deficits
macrocephaly - born with a large head above 2 standard deviations
Jacob et al
suggested that males with XYY were more aggressive so more inclined to be aggressive than males with one Y chromosome
study focusing on prisoners with an additional Y chromosome compared to those with a single Y chromosome
XYY men overrepresented in the prison population with 15/every 1000 in prison
1 in every 1000 with XYY in general population
CASE EXAMPLE
John Wayne Gacy had XYY syndrome, he murdered and sexually assulted at least 33 men.
also had a ttraumatic childhood - victim of psychological and physical abuse
Twin studies
monozygotic (identical) twins come from a single fertilised egg, share 100% of their genes
dizygotic (non identical) twins come from 2 separate eggs and share 50% of their genes
allow for the examination into whether it is genetic or environmental influences that cause criminality
if criminality is genetic then it is likely that if one family member has the gene then another will too
Lange 1929
higher concordance in monozygotic than dizygotic twins for criminal behaviour
10/13 MZ twins had both served a prison sentence
2/17 DZ twins had both served a prison sentence
Christiansen 1977
3586 twin pairs born between 1881 and 1910 studied from the Danish islands. 926 individuals from the sample were registered for criminal activity by the police
findings: male MZ 35% DZ 13%
female MZ 21% DZ 8%
Adoption studies
can be used to test for a genetic cause for criminality: - compare adopted children with both their biological and adoptive parents
focusing on children adopted soon after birth - same genes as biological parents but same environment as adoptive parents (nature v nurture)
if a child's behaviour regarding criminality is similar to their biological parents behaviour then this supports the genetic explanation for criminality
Mednick et al
examined data of over 14000 adopted sons in Denmark 1924-1947
those whose biological parents had criminal records are more likely to also have criminal records - concordance rate 20%
those whose adoptive parents had criminals there was a lower chance of them also having one - concordance rate 14.7%
FURTHER STUDY: no relationship between number of criminal convictions of adoptive parents and their adopted children
there was a correlation between the number of criminal convictions of the biological parents and their children
Physiological theories
Lombroso
stated that criminals are a separate species between primitive and modern humans and a born criminal could be determined by their physical features e.g. head and face shape 'atavistic features'
atavistic features
low, sloping forehead
long arms in relation to lower limbs
large ears
high cheekbones
flattened/ upturned nose
large/ forward projection of haw
studied features of 383 deceased and 3839 living criminals and found that 40% of criminal acts could be attributed to atavistic features
categorised features into specific crimes committed
murderers: bloodshot eyes, curly hair
sex offenders: thick lips, protruding ears
thief: expressive face, wondering eyes
Sheldon
suggested that criminals were physically different from non criminals and that certain body types (somatotypes) were linked to criminal behaviour
identified 3 body types
Endomorphs
: rounded body shape, soft and tend to be fat, lack muscle or tone, wide hips
personality - sociable, relaxed, comfortable, outgoing
Ectomorphs
: thin, lacking fat and muscle, flat chested, narrow hips and shoulders, thin face, high forehead
personality - self conscious, inward looking, emotionally restrained, thoughtful
Mesomorphs
: muscular bodied, little fat, strong limbs, broad shoulders, narrow waist
personality - adventurous, sensation seeking, assertive, enjoy physical activity, aggressive
studied photographs of 4000 men and put the idea forward of the 3 somatotypes. he compared photos of college students with delinquents, using a 1-7 scale of resemblance to a mesomorph body type
higher average of resemblance for mesomorphs for delinquents than college students, criminals with mesomorph body types are more likely to commit violent crimes and ectomorphs least likely
mesomorph body types most likely to engage in criminal behaviour due to being more attracted to taking risks, their physical build and assertiveness could be a key part in crime
Brain abnormalities
Neuro/biochemical
biochemical substances have been suggested as possible causes of criminality because of their effect on brain chemistry and mental processes
Diet: blood sugar levels - hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) has been identified as a trigger for aggression
some studies have shown a link between alcohol abuse and low blood sugar
Other substances: synthetic food colouring - been linked with hyperactivity
lack of something in our diet can be linked to antisocial behaviour - Vitamin B deficiency has been linked with aggressive behaviour
Gesch et al 2002
tested if psychologically adequate intakes in essential vitamins, minerals and fatty acids reduce criminal behaviour
randomised trial of 231 young adult prisoners, comparing disciplinary offences before and after taking them, half given a placebo
those receiving active nutrients committed 26.3% fewer offences than placebo, those taking them for 2 weeks had a 35.1% reduction in criminal behaviour, placebos remained the same
antisocial behaviour in prisons can be reduced by essential vitamins, minerals and fatty acids with similar implications as those eating poor diets in the community
Serotonin: studies conducted show that low levels of serotonin are linked with higher aggression. serotonin is classed as a neurotransmitter meaning it is a messenger chemical which carries signals between nerve cells in the brain. serotonin influences mood, sleep and emotion
Hormones: over/ underproduction of hormones may lead to emotional distrubance that could result in criminality
Steroids: often taken to increase muscle growth and testosterone levels but have been found to cause extremely violent behaviour if taken in large amounts
Alcohol: generally linked to violent crime
INDIVIDUALISTIC THEORIES
Learning theories
Bandura's social learning theory
Differential association theory
Psychodynamic theories
Freud
Psychological theories
Eysenck
developed a theory based on personality arguing that criminality is a result of particular personality types
initially identified 2 dimensions
Extraversion/ intraversion
- amount of stimulation a person needs
Neuroticism/ stability
- levels of emotional stability of a person
can be measured using questionnaires e.g. Eysenck's personality questionnaire
dimensions and traits
Extraversion
: sociable, outgoing, implusive, unreliable, can be aggressive
Introversion
: reliable, self controlled, quiet, reserved
Neuroticism
: anxious, prone to overreact
Stability
: calm, emotionally in control
Psychotocism
: cold, uncaring, aggressive
predicted that those with extrovert, neurotic and psychotic personalities are more likely to offend due to their implusive and thrill seeking nature making them unable to understand the rules of society
explained his findings by drawing on 2 ideas:
conditioning
- through experience we learn to seek pleasure to avoid pain
genetics
- nervous system
Extroverts
inherit a nervous system which needs high levels of stimulation from their environment, leading to impulsive and rule breaking behaviour
Neurotics
are difficult to condition into following societys rules, their high anxiety levels prevent them from being conditioned through punishment. they will learn from experience so therefore are more likely to offend
SOCIOLOGICAL THEORIES
Social structure
Marxism
sees crime as an tool used by the ruling class to maintain social control over the working class
proletariat
- working class
bourgeoisie
-the ruling class
core agencies such as the police are geared to enforce this controll
white collar crime and corporate crime is ignores but crime commited by the proletariat is focused on
Functionalist
Interactionism- Labeling Theory
focuses on how people interpret therefore socially construct the world around us
it is believed that there is no fixed structure or concept on what is right or wrong as there is no universal agreement on this concept
Interactionists reject the use of crime statistics as they believe they measure how much the police do not how much crime there is
being deviant is just a label
Merton's Strain Theory
Merton concluded that individuals in society are socialised into wanting the 'american dream'
not everyone has equal access or legitimate means needed for an individual to achieve these goals
certain opportunities can be blocked for certain individuals
conformist
-accepts approved goals and pursues them through approved means
innovator
-accepts approved goals but uses disapproved means to achieve them
retreatist
-abandons approved goals and approved means
ritualist
-abandons societies goals but will conform to approved means
rebel
-challenges approved goals and approved means
Realism
Right realism
right wing conservative views
'crime is a growing problem especially street crime'
rejects the marxist view
Crime is a product of 3 factors:
offending is a rational choice
inadequate socialisation
biological differences between individuals
Left realism
left wing wing socialist views
they believe that poverty is the root cause of crime
the main victims of of society are disadvantaged groups
in order to reduce crime society needs to become more equal and fair