Cesare Lombroso's Theory of Crime

1.

Cesare Lombroso's Theory of Crime:
Myth or Science?
Myth or Science?
Presenters: Tarhanova E., Nikulina K., Kudina
E., Barilo A., Khrisanfova Y.
3130801/50005

2.

Who Was Cesare Lombroso?
Italian doctor (1835-1909)
Worked with prisoners in mental hospitals
Known as "Father of Modern Criminology"
First to study criminals scientifically

3.

The Historical Context
Time of great scientific
discovery (1800s)
Charles Darwin's evolution
theory was popular
Society wanted scientific
answers for social problems
Lombroso applied science to
study crime

4.

The "Born Criminal" Theory
Main Idea: Some people are born
criminals
Atavism: Criminals are
«primitive savages»
Their biology makes them
commit crimes
They cannot change their nature

5.

Physical Signs of Criminal
Large, strong jaw
Low, sloping forehead
Asymmetrical face
Unusual ears and eyes
Specific tattoos

6.

Lombroso's Research Methods
Measured prisoners' heads and
bodies
Studied 5,000+ living criminals
Examined 400 dead criminals'
skulls
Compared photos and statistics

7.

Types of Criminals
Born Criminal (biological)
Insane Criminal (mental illness)
Criminal by Passion (strong
emotions)
Occasional Criminal (by
situation)
Habitual Criminal (repeat
offender)

8.

Why did the theory become popular?
· A simple explanation of a
complex problem
· Provided a "scientific"
justification for punishments
· Consistent with the spirit of the
times
· Helped identify "dangerous"
people

9.

Scientific problem 1: Lack of comparison
Studied only prisoners
There was no control group of
ordinary people
Did not compare different social
classes
Drew conclusions based on
limited data

10.

Scientific Problem 2: Bias
Saw only what he wanted to see
Any trait could be "criminal"
Ignored conflicting evidence
Confirmation bias in all his
works