Biological Origins of Crime Cesare Lombroso William H. Sheldon Sigmund Freud Hans Eysenck

Lombroso Studied soldiers in Italian army. Noticed a group he classified as ‘born criminals’ Born criminals were characterized by an affinity for tattoos, cruel games, orgies and primitive slang

Born Criminals Lombroso argued that their behavior was a throwback to a savage, underdeveloped or primitive human species. Because these individuals were genetic throwbacks, they are unable to adjust to the moral and social demands of modern society

Atavisim Lombroso argued that Born Criminals (or homo-deliquenes) could be identified by their atavistic characteristics. Through years of postmortem examinations of criminals, the insane, and normal individuals, Lombroso became convinced that the "born criminal“ could be anatomically identified by Atavistic Characteristics

Atavistic Characteristics Sloping forehead Unusual ears Excessively long arms Asymmetrical face Broad nose

Modifications Lombroso moved away from single born criminal classification Professional criminals Juridical criminals Criminals of passion Criminaloids Morally insane Hysteric criminal

William Sheldon Somatotyping Ectomorphs Endomorphs Messomorphs

Endomorph Scale: 7-1-1 Visceratonia (sociable, pleasant, loves to eat)

Ectomorph Scale: 1-1-7 Cerebratonia (restrained, introverted, bookish)

Mespmorph Scale: 1-7-1 Somatotonia (adventurous, competitive, athletic)

Balanced Scale: 4-4-4 “Normal” or “typical” build