(Page 7 ch1) One contribution is the journal he has written is about the improved methods of scientific crime detection and this still reports today. The second contribution is his treatise written about scientific disciplines in the field of criminal investigations. (Page 8 ch 1) Karl Landsteiner figured out how to divide blood into groups and today there are four different groups A,B,AB,O. Then Leone Lattes takes this information and puts it to work with figuring out the types of blood with dried blood. (pg10 ch1) The first person to apply the principals of forensic science was Edmond Locard, he began in the attic of the Lyons police department.
Within biological and environmental Psychology both fields share varied beliefs as to where criminological behaviour is derived. Is criminal behaviour inherited or is it down to effects of the environment? Biological psychology theorists (BPT) believe that the criminal is born that way whereas environmental psychology theorists (EPT) believe criminal behaviour is learned. There is a range of research studies that support both these arguments. Cesare Lombroso (CL) was a Psychiatrist that believed that criminals had common facial characteristics and that they were “born criminals” which he also referred to as “atavisms”.
In terms of biochemistry, chemical imbalances in the brain may be involved in certain mental illnesses. Neurotransmitters, for example, play a very important part in behaviour – one theory links depression to low levels of the neurotransmitters serotonin and noradrenaline. However, the relationship between neurotransmitters and depression is very complex and therefore, more research is needed to discover the exact link between this and the disorder. People suffering from depression, also often have high levels of the hormone cortisol. Cortisol is sometimes referred to as a ‘stress hormone’ because it is produced in times of stress.
Which is the better explanation that elucidates the question: Are criminals born or made? Research has shown that criminal behaviour tends to run in families, it is likely that biological factors play a fundamental role in criminality. In order for psychologists to discover whether criminal behaviour results in the child’s genes or their surrounding environment, they need the information required by adoption studies. For example, if the criminal’s behaviour duplicates that of their adoptive parents then this could lead to the fact that the criminality is present in the environment. Mednick et al.
He believes that the positivist scientific method could be applied to the study of crime so as to find out its causes and prevent it. His particular approach was described as criminal anthropology. He compared the known offenders and a control group of soldiers by the post-mortem measurement and examination. After studying the resulting, Lombroso think that there a correlation between certain physical features, such as an asymmetrical face, large jaws and long arms, and criminality. In his opinion, these physical traits were characteristic of an earlier period of human evolution.
3. Biological- theories that claim that your biological inheritance or genes may have an influence on your criminal behaviour. Biological theory; William Sheldon Body Shape Theory (1897-1998) William Sheldon’s work originated from Cesare Lombrosso’s work. Lombrosso looked at a large amount of prisoners and concluded that a person’s character could be determined by the shape of their skull and other physical characteristics; he believed that criminals were less evolved than normal people. This is no longer a satisfactory explanation of crime, this is because William Sheldon didn’t think this was a valid theory and wanted to get more in depth and produce a valid theory.
5a Describe the biological theories used to offer explanations of criminal behaviour. Physical type and body shape: Lombroso 1876, an Italian doctor and a criminal anthropologist first views were based on genetics. He argued that criminals were different then the rest of the population. He suggested that their look and behaviour was more primitive and that they did not evolve as well as the rest of us. He suggested that the primitive genetic form would have large jaws, high cheek bones, large ears, extra nipples, toes and fingers and were insensitive to pain.
He changed the way criminology is viewed today. He believed that criminal behaviour came into effect from learning and communicating with others and not something inherited. He placed no emphasis on the media involvement. Definition Differential association studies the acts of a criminal as learned behaviour. It maintains that crime is the product of environmental influences on individuals who are otherwise psychologically as well as biologically normal (Joubert, S. J., Joubert, E., Ovens, M. 2009).
“Science, which gives its evidence impartially, is more closely allied to the truth than anything else.” (Lord Aitkin at the opening of the first forensic science lab in the UK in 1935). Discuss this quotation with particular reference to criminal cases in which forensic science played a crucial role in indicating the offender. Dr Edmund Locard of the University of Lyons, trained in both medicine and law, states in his now famous theory of interchange, that “every contact leaves a trace”. This, today forms the basis of the use of Forensic Science in criminal investigation. Such evidence is given primary status in many, if not all, criminal trials today ranging from crimes of murder to mere vandalism.
Before, that individuals were believed to have control over their moods and directional approaches. Relating a criminal’s action to biology was not considered a defense. It was believed that crime originated from sin and moral failing. This view was changed when advancements in the social and natural sciences, mainly in genetics started to happen and more people started to accept that certain biological traits can cause crime, such as hormones or genetics. (Ferris, David, August 25, 2013) Hormones are not determined by the environment but instead biologically.