Biological explanations of offending behaviour: an historical approach (atavistic form)
Lombroso argued that criminals are born, not made. He claimed you could identify a criminal by their physical appearance — specific facial and body features he called the atavistic form.
Real World
Lombroso examined the skull of the Italian brigand Giuseppe Villella and found an unusually large indentation at the base, which he took as proof that criminals were evolutionary throwbacks with primitive anatomy.
Exam Focus
Evaluate by noting Lombroso's lack of a control group — he never compared prisoners' features with those of non-offending populations.
Evaluation Scaffold
A four-step framework for high-quality evaluation. Use this for 'assess', 'evaluate', and 'to what extent' questions.
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