Biological Theories

CU6 | MIDTERM
 Biological Theories
• Early biological theories claim that
criminal behavior is a result of
biological or genetic defect in the
individual.
• In other words, criminals behave
differently because, structurally, they
are different.
• The Positivists shared a hope that
criminal behavior could be controlled if
at first could be understood.
The Biological School
•A view of crime, also referred to as biological positivism,
claims that criminal behavior is the result of biological or
inborn defects or abnormalities.
•This view directly conflicts with classical criminology,
which claims that criminal activity is the result of free will.
•Under a biological perspective, deterrence is of little
value.
Notable Individuals
•Lombroso, Cesare: (1836-1909) First to use scientific method in criminology, wrote
The Criminal Man (1876).
•Eysenck, Hans J.: Proposed the biosocial “arousal” theory.
•Ferrero, William: Co-authored Female Offender (1958 [1897]) with Lombroso.
•Goring, Charles: (1870-1919) British criminologist, proposed the idea that criminals
are shorter, weigh less, and “mentally defective,” wrote The English Convic: A
Statistical Study (1913).
•Hooton, E.A.: (1887-1954) Anthropologist and neo-Lombrosian, proposed the idea
that crime is caused by physical inferiority, wrote Crime and the Man (1939).
•Mednick, Sarnoff: Developed the best-known and most systematically stated and
tested modern biosocial theory.
Phrenology or Craniology
• By Franz Joseph Gall (1758-1828) and
Johann Caspar Spurzheim (1776-1832)
• This is the study of external formation of the
skull that indicates the conformation of the
brain and the development of its various
parts in relation to the behavior of the
criminal.
• Phrenology is the study of the shape of the
head through the examination and
measurement of the bumps on an
individual's skull.
• Phrenology, from the Greek words
phren, meaning “mind,” and logos,
meaning “knowledge,” is based on
the belief that human behavior
originated in the brain.
• Phrenology, also referred to as
crainology, is a theory of human
behavior based upon the belief that
an individual's character and mental
faculties correlate with the shape of
their head.
Franz Joseph Gall
(1758–1828)
• German neuroanatomist and physiologist
who pioneered study of the human brain as
the source of mental faculties
• Developed the practice of cranioscopy, a
technique by which to infer behaviors and
characteristics from external examination of
the skull (cranium).
• According to Gall, a person’s strengths,
weaknesses, morals, proclivities, character,
and personality could be determined by
physical characteristics of his or her skull.
Johann Spurzheim
(1776–1832)
• German physician and student of
Gall’s, actually coined the term
phrenology to replace cranioscopy.
• Spurzheim also expanded the map of
the brain organs, developed a
hierarchical system of the organs, and
created a model “phrenology bust” that
depicted the location of the brain
organs.
Physiognomy
• By Johann Kaspar Lavater
• This is the study of the relationship
between the facial features and human
conduct of a person in relation to his
crime.
• Lombroso and Lavater stated that the
way to discover the character of
person is by:
• Observation of his physical appearance
• Measurement of the outward appearance
Criminal Anthropology
•Is the study of “criminal” human beings (theory of the “born criminal”)
which stated that Crime is caused by biological inferiority which is
indicated by the physical characteristics associated with criminality.
•Atavism. Part of the theory developed by Lombroso in which a person is
a “born criminal.” Atavistic or primitive man is a throwback to an earlier
stage of human evolution, and will commit crimes against society unless
specifically restrained from doing so.
•Stigmata. Characteristics claimed by Lombroso that could be used to
identify the “born criminal.” They include things such as extra fingers or
toes, large lips, receding chins, excessive skin wrinkles, and large monkey-
like ears.
• Lombrosian Theory- this was developed by Dr. Cesare Lombroso, a
prison doctor in Turin, Italy. His job was to examine hundreds of
criminals. This theory holds the following assumptions:
• Criminals have many stigmata (distinctive physical features) such as
symmetrical faces, enormous jaws, large protruding ears and
receding chins.
• Criminals are atavistic beings who
look differently and think differently.
Having the mentality of primitive
people, they are incapable of living
in the modern society.
• Criminals are classified as epileptic,
insane and inborn.
• Atavistic Stigmata or Atavistic
Anomalies- Physical traits which are
not different from apes.
• Born Criminal- have at least 5
Atavistic Stigmata/ Atavistic
Anomalies
• Physical Atavistic Stigmata
includes:
• large jaws, forward projection
of jaw,
• low sloping forehead,
• high cheekbones,
• flattened or upturned nose,
• handle-shaped ears,
• hawk-like noses or fleshy lips,
• hard shifty eyes,
• scanty beard or baldness,
• insensitivity to pain,
• long arms relative to lower
limbs.
• According to Lombroso, there are 3 classes of criminals:
• Born Criminals- individuals who have at least five (5)
atavistic stigmata/ atavistic anomalies
• Insane Criminals- those who are not criminals by birth;
they become criminals as a result of some changes in
their brains which interfere with their ability to
distinguish between right and wrong.
• Criminoloids- those with make-up of an ambiguous
group that includes habitual criminals, criminals by
passion and other diverse types
 Ernst Kretschmer
• Physiology or Somatotype- Ernst (1888-1964)
Kretschmer was the founder of this
study, which states that criminality
is based on body built.
• Athletic- Strong muscular and
coarse bone (violence)
• Pyknic- massive neck, broad
face, rounded face and medium
height (deception and violence)
• Asthenic- lean, slightly built,
narrow shoulder (petty thievery
and fraud)
 • Somatotyping Theory/William Sheldon’s
Theory
• His key ideas are concentrated on the
principle of “Survival of the Fittest” as a
behavioral science. He combines the
biological and psychological explanation
to understand deviant behavior.
• Sheldon’s “Somatotyping Theory”
maintains the belief of inheritance as the
William Sheldon
(1898-1977)
primary determinants of behavior and the
physique is a reliable indicator of
personality.
• In Somatotyping, people are classified in three
ways:
• Endomorphs- people who tend to be fat,
round and soft, and to have short arms and
legs. They have low specific gravity. Persons
with typically relaxed and comfortable
disposition.
• Mesomorphs- people who have athletic and
muscular physique; with active, assertive and
aggressive personality. They are the people
who are routinely active and aggressive, and
they are the most likely to commit crimes.
• Ectomorphs- people who are basically skinny
with lean and fragile bodies. They tend to
look more fatigue and withdrawn.
• General Inferiority Theory/ Hooton’s Theory- this
was proposed by Earnest Hooton. This theory has
the following assumptions:
• Crime is the result of the impact of
environment upon low grade human or
organism and that criminals were originally
inferior people.
• Crimes exist because there are some inferior
people who are responsible for them.
• Men with mediocre built are people who tend
to break the law without preference because
crimes are like physical make-up, characterless.
• Physical inferiority is significant,
principally because it is associated with
mental inferiority.
•  He suggested that human somatotype
(body shape and physique) can even
determine which type of crime a person
will commit: 
• Tall-slender men are predisposed
for murder and robbery
•  Tall-medium heavy men besides
killing, also for forgery
• Short-heavy men for sex offenses
• Criminals should be permanently exiled
to self-governing reservations isolated
from the society, sterilized to prevent
future off springs.
• Genetic Theory- This theory assures that:
• Crime and delinquency is committed by people who have abnormal genetic structure or
chromosomal abnormalities.
• DNA is the transmitter of genetic material (genes)
• Extra Y chromosome is responsible for aggressiveness and thus, criminal activity. Men with
an extra Y chromosome are taller and have 10 to 20 percent greater tendency to break the
law than genetically normal XY males.
• XYY Syndrome- born criminal syndrome
Biosocial Theory
(Biosocial Trait Theory)
•Theories that examine the combined effects of biology,
behavior, and the environment on criminal behavior.
•Believe that physical, environmental and social
conditions work in concert to produce human behavior.
•The biosocial view is that behavior is a product of
interacting biological and environmental events
Biosocial Arousal Theory
•This theory states that an individual’s level of
arousal works in conjunction with the social
environment.
•Those with low levels of arousal are less likely to
learn appropriate ways to deal with aggression
and violence and thus are more prone to commit
crime.
Evolutionary Theory

A broad-based view that certain types of

criminal behavior are genetic and passed
down from one generation to the next
through evolutionary processes of natural
selection and survival.
HEREDITY

• HEREDITY- the passing on of physical or

mental characteristics genetically from
one generation to another.
• Heredity as a Factor in Criminality and
Delinquency:
• Richard Dugdale (Juke Family)-
studied the family of Margaret “Ada”
Juke, the Mother of Criminals.
• 64 Mentally Diseased
• 174 Sex perverts
• 196 Illegitimate
• 142 Paupers
• 77 Criminals and Murderers
 Richard Dugdale

• The Jukes: A Study in Crime, Pauperism,

Disease and Heredity in 1877. Dugdale
debated the relative contribution of
environment and heredity and concluded that
the family's poor environment was largely to
blame for their behavior: "environment tends
to produce habits which may become
hereditary".
• He noted that the Jukes were not a single
family, but a composite of 42 families and that
only 540 of his 709 subjects were apparently
related by blood.
Sir Jonathan Edwards Family Tree
(R. Dugdale)
•Sir Jonathan Edwards was a famous preacher
during the colonial period. When his family tree
was traced, none of the descendants was found
to be criminal.
•Became President of Princeton University.
From Edwards Family:
 Practically no lawbreakers
 More than 100 lawyers, 30 judges
 13 college presidents and hundred and more professors
 60 physicians
 100 clergymen, missionaries, and theological professors
 80 elected to public office, including 3 mayors, 3 governors, several
members of congress, 3 senators, and 1 vice president
 60 have attained prominence in authorship or editorial life, with
135 books of merit
 75 army or navy officers
• Henry Goddard- studied the Kallikak Family
• Greek words καλός (kallos) meaning
“beautiful” and κακός (kakos) meaning
“bad.”
• The Kallikak Family: A Study in the Heredity
of Feeble-Mindedness was a 1912 book by
the American psychologist and eugenicist
Henry H. Goddard.
• Inheritance of "feeble-mindedness," a
general category referring to a variety of
mental disabilities including mental
retardation, learning disabilities, and
mental illness.
• The book follows the genealogy of Martin
Kallikak, , a Revolutionary War hero
married to a Quaker woman.