Early Biological Positivism 1850-1930

1
Early Biological Positivism1850-1930

• Lombrosos Born Criminal
• Criminals as atavistic throwbacks
• Identified through presence of stigmata
• Peaked nose (as bird of prey)
• Sloped forehead, large jaws
• Strong canine teeth (as with carnivores)
• General hairiness of the body
• Others Phrenology, Body Type, feeblemindedness

2
The XYY supermale

• An extra Y chromosome
• Initial discovery in 1961
• Flurry of activity immediately after
• Not a supermale
• Low intelligence, physiological differences
• More evidence that XXY abnormality related to
  crime
• Even here, very rare and due to learning disorders

3
The demise of early positivism

• 1. Poor theory
• Single biological trait as direct cause of crime.
• 2. Poor/biased research
• Crime runs in families (Dugdale)
• 3. Dangerous policy implications
• Eugenics movement
• Largely discredited by Sociologists by 1950.

4
Where does biology stand now?

• Impression from the Barkan book?
• Criticizes all biological research on poor
  methodology or shifting definitions of crime
• Example, Barkan Why dont all aggressive or
  risk-seeking people commit crimes?
• Football players, sky-divers
• Response But, why dont most people who face
  poverty and inequality commit crime?
• Get a job at MacDonalds, muddle through life

5
Is Criminality Inherited?

• KEY IS SEPARATING NATURE AND NURTURE
• Parental Deviance (Crime runs in family)
• Twin Studies
• Adoption Studies

6
Parental Deviance

• Parents crime and deviance is a robust predictor
  of the childs delinquency
• Due to genetics, or other factors?
• Deviant parents more likely to use harsh/erratic
  discipline, less supervision?
• Deviant parents live in bad neighborhoods?
• Deviant parents abuse children/each other?

7
Twin Studies

• Compare MZ twins with DZ twins
• Concordance rates if one twin is criminal, is
  the other?
• Danish Study (Christiansen, 1979)
• MZ52
• DZ22

8
Adoption Studies

• Compare the two sets of parents that an adopted
  youth has.
• Biological parents?genetics
• Adoptive parents?social circumstance

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Cross Fostering AnalysisMednick et al. (1984)
CRITICISMS OF THIS?
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Biology is not necessarily dependent on genetics

• Prenatal or Perinatal harms
• Maternal smoking, drinking, drug use
• Low birth weight, premature, delivery
  complications
• Environmental Influences
• Diet (excessive sugar, etc)
• Exposure to toxins (e.g., lead)
• Physical harm (head trauma, etc)

11
What biological mechanisms are inherited or
damaged?

• Neurological Functioning
• PET scans, EEG readings
• Indirect measures (IQ, Impulsivity tests)
• Central Nervous System (CNS) or Anatomic Nervous
  System (ANS)
• Heart rate
• Skin Conductance

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HOW might biology effect behavior?

• Direct Effects (less common)
• Head trauma?personality (Phinneas Gauge, Charles
  Whitman)
• Diet Excessive Sugar? Hyperactivity
• Indirect Effects
• Less responsive nervous system? response to pain
  ? hard to condition
• Maternal Smoking during pregnancy ?
  impulsivity/low IQ ? school failure ? delinquency

13
Terrie Moffits Biosocial Theory

• Biology
• Some children have slight neurophysiological
  deficits
• Causes of NPD? Perinatal harm, genetic
• Results of NPD? Difficult temperament, Slow to
  learn, difficult to parent, impulsive
• Environments
• Some parents are poorly equipped to handle such a
  child
• Lack of resources, lack of parenting skills

14
Biosocial Explanation of Female Delinquency

• Caspi et al. (1993)
• Biology
• Early sexual maturation in females
• Measure age at first period
• Environment
• Exposure to crime prone associates
• Measure type of school (mixed gender or not)

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Policy Implications

• Old Biology
• Eugenics
• New Biosocial
• Social factors can be changed, biology can
  identify at-risk children
• Some biological factors can be changed
• Drugs
• Reduce prenatal risk to fetus

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Barkans Critique of Biology and Crime

• The relativity of deviance
• Methodological problems
• Inadequate control, small sample sizes, etc
• Group rate differences
• Social/policy implications
• Cant change biology?

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SUMMARY OF BIOLOGY

• All modern biological theories incorporate
  sociological or psychological concepts.
• Biology related in an indirect fashion--and with
  the environment.
• Caspis research on female criminality
• Moffitts biosocial theory