1. Why do people commit Crimes? Theories of Criminology

2. Positive Theory (Positivism)  Criminals are born not made  This is an example of nature, not nurture  Focused on biological and psychological factors to explain criminal behaviour

3. Positivist Theorists  Cesare Lombarso (1835 – 1909)  Italian physician and psychiatrist  What did he think/do?  Studied cadavers of executed criminals in an effort to determine scientifically whether criminals were physically any different from non-criminals  He believed that people were born criminals and facial features of criminals included things like enormous jaws and strong canine teeth.

4. Pictures of murderers that Lambarso believed carried facial features tied to criminal activity.

5. MurdererSean Penn See any similarities!? Does this mean Sean Penn is a Criminal?

6. Those in group "A" are all shoplifters, "B" are swindlers, "H" are purse snatchers, "E" are murderers, etc

7. Positivist Theorists cont…  In the 1960s, positivist criminologists argued that criminal behaviour lies in abnormal chromosomes  The XYY theory argued that violent male criminals have an abnormal XYY chromosome (XY is the normal pattern in males)  However, researchers soon found out that this was not true and that criminals had normal chromosomes and that non-criminals also had abnormal chromosomes.  The Positivist theory of criminals being born rather than made died out. There were moral implications with this.

8. Modern Day Example  Philippe Rushton  University of Western Ontario psychology professor  Rushton's book Race, Evolution, and Behavior (1995)tries to show that East Asians and their descendants average a larger brain size, greater intelligence, more sexual restraint, slower rates of maturation, and greater law abidingness and social organization than do Europeans and their descendants, who average higher scores on these dimensions than Africans and their descendants.

9. Sociological Perspectives: Theory of Anomie  Sociological Theorist : Emile Durkheim (1858- 1917)  Argued that as society moved from rural to urban, traditional values and bonds that regulated behaviour were weakened  People would turn to crime living in a big city, no longer restrained by norms of society  Called this state of isolation “anomie”

10. Theory of Anomie  Durkheim is also a father of functionalism (i.e., everyone has a role/function in society and that is how society runs/functions.  Durkheim believes that criminals have a role and are needed for society to function  If there were no crime, it would mean that everyone in society was the same and agreed on everything. This is no ideal and society would be too comforting – people need a release.

11. Anomie cont…  Kitty Genovese  Young woman stabbed to death on a street in New York City -1964  As many as 37 neighbours and bystanders all heard her screams for help.  No one called the police because they all thought someone else would take action.  Sociologists call this Diffusion of Responsibility  The Bystander Effect The Bystander Effect  Bystander Effect Experiment Bystander Effect Experiment

12. Sociological Perspectives cont… Ecological School  Believed that criminal behaviour was fostered and encouraged in certain environments.  They studied a number of poor neighbourhoods and concluded that communities that suffered from high rates of poverty and social disintegration were more likely to condone criminal activity than more affluent neighbourhoods.

13. Sociological Perspectives cont… Social Conflict Theory  Karl Marx and Frederick Engels argued that the capitalist society encouraged crime as people competed for resources and wealth.  Our society protects those with power and property. As a result, people who are economically disadvantaged are more likely to be punished by our justice system. The only way to solve the crime problem is to eliminate the capitalist system.

14. Social Psychological Perspective  Social psychology is the study of the relations between individuals and people.  They are interested in how ‘regular’ people can commit atrocious crimes.  Stanley Milgram was specifically interested in how Nazi’s were able to commit horrible acts of genocide – he focused on how people could do this just by following orders.  Milgram Experiment Milgram Experiment

15. Psychoanalytical Theory  Sigmund Freud believed that all humans have criminal tendencies.  It is through socialization that these tendencies are controlled during childhood.  If a child has an identity problem with his/her parent, this problem may cause the child to direct its antisocial tendencies outward and thus become a criminal.

17. Strain Theory (Sociology)  Current societies stress the goals of acquiring wealth, success, and power.  However, the means to achieve these goals require education and economic resources.  These means are frequently denied or unavailable to those who are economically disadvantaged or have little opportunity for formal education.  Example : youth living in the “projects” yearning for the chance to work on the streets to sell drugs because they know this is the only way they can make money.

18. Socialization  Suggests the key influences leading to criminal behaviour are found in upbringing, peer groups, and role models

20. Biological Trait Theory  Argues that some human traits such as intelligence, personality, chemical and genetic makeup may predispose people to engage in criminal behaviour  Research suggests that the following can cause a person to become a criminal  Poor diet (“Twinkie Defense”)  Influence of hormones (androgens)  Exposure to drugs/alcohol in the womb

21. Neurophysiological Theory  Focus on the study of brain activity and how neurological dysfunctions are connected with criminal activity  Neuroscientist James Fallon Neuroscientist James Fallon  Most Evil - Secrets of murder Most Evil - Secrets of murder