Revisiting Lombroso: Unpacking The Born Criminal Theory
- NLR Journal
- 7 days ago
- 1 min read
By Amirtha Rajee, Sastra School Of Law, Tamil Nadu & Shanmuga Raman, Chettinad School Of Law, Tamil Nadu.
Abstract
Many people consider the Italian criminologist and physician Cesare Lombroso to be a trailblazer in the discipline. Lombroso is best known for his theory of the "born criminal," which held that certain physical characteristics, specifically biological factors, could be responsible for criminal behaviour. He proposed that traits like large jaws, prominent cheekbones, and facial asymmetry—all of which he thought were atavistic remnants of earlier, primitive human ancestors—could be used to identify criminals. The field of criminal anthropology, which focuses on the psychological and physical components of crime, was founded on Lombroso's empirical research, which was carried out by examining prisoners. Lombroso's work had a major impact on the early development of criminological theory, even though his deterministic theories and disregard for social and environmental factors have largely led to his theories being dismissed in contemporary criminology. Even though more sophisticated methods in the field have supplanted his particular theories, his contributions stimulated additional research into the biological, psychological, and social factors that influence criminal behaviour.
Keywords: Born Criminal, Atavistic Remnants, Criminal Anthropology, Deterministic Theories, Criminological Theory, Biological Factors.
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