Question

Explain if there is a biological explanation for criminal deviance. Provide an example of a biological explanation for criminal activity. Explain if psychological approaches are better used to explain criminal deviance. Provide a solution to social deviance on a macro level.

Answer 1

According to the biological models of deviance, crime and deviant behavior are the result of pathological physiological factors, that are specific to certain types of individuals. The model assumes criminals are “born” and not “made”, and can thus be biologically distinguished from non-criminals. The underlying logic of the biological explanation is that the presence of certain dysfunctional genetic traits leads to an inability to learn and follow norms that govern the society, ultimately resulting in acts of crime.?

Lombroso’s theory of criminality is among the first to adopt a purely biological view. He developed a theory of deviance in which a person’s bodily constitution indicates criminal tendencies. He observed that prisoners possessed certain physical characteristics such as an asymmetry of the face or head, large monkey-like ears, large lips, a twisted nose, excessive cheekbones, long arms and excessive wrinkles on the skin. He concluded that these physical features were markers of born criminals.

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