Atavistic Theory of Lombroso in Modern Criminology and Impact

This essay provides a comprehensive overview of Cesare Lombroso's atavistic theory, a cornerstone in the history of criminology. It delves into Lombroso's core concept that criminals are atavistic, representing a regression to an earlier stage of human evolution, and exhibit distinct physical and psy...Read More

Atavistic theory of lombroso in
modern criminology and its impact
in current criminology

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Atavistic theory of Lombroso in modern criminology and its impact in current criminology
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REFERENCES...........................................................................................................................6

Cesare Lombroso's Atavism theory basically deal with the criminals are the crude
savages who are developmentally in opposite direction contrasted with typical residents. As
indicated by his theory, the conceived lawbreakers have a variety of blemish or markers that
might be viewed as putative evidence of their sin. These incorporates their over the top
tattoos, their way of composing and talking, or the size and state of their skull, ears, brow,
and hands. This essay determines the development of this theory or approach and the way it
has changed over the period of time and identifying how it affected the criminology practices.
In addition to this, determining whether they are still into research and having significant
influence in the today’s world.
Atavistic theory of Lombroso in modern criminology and its impact in current criminology
Cesare was the doctor in prison and the forensic physician who have carried out
various research on prisoners and patients. He published his work which states that there are
certain characteristics and the skull shape which can be linked to the different types of
criminals and the crimes (Guy and Chomczyński, 2018). As per his theory, criminals
represent the distinguishing anthropological type called as the homo delinquens. In addition
to this, Lombroso was considered to be the 1st one to make use of scientific methods and
approaches in regard to studying crime and along with that he inspired others to carry out the
research on the same. Therefore, in today still, neuro-criminology has drawn few of its
theories from the Lombroso’s in order to explore the various reason behind the criminal
behavior like whether certain brain injuries can result into criminality or the fierceness can be
done due to clinical ailment.
The Lombroso’s anthropological theory of crime can be divided into four essential
statements. First is that the criminals can be easily distinguished from the those who are non-
criminals by looking at the various physical and psychological anomalies. The second one is
that the criminal is an assortment of the human species, a degenerative wonder. The third one
is the criminal is an atavism, which is "degeneration" to a crude, subhuman sort of person.
Hoodlums are present day "savages", physical and psychological misfortunes to a previous
phase of mankind's set of experiences, to phylogenetic past (Vincent, 2021). Crooks show
physical and mental qualities that were accepted to have been defeated throughout the entire
existence of improvement. The last statement is that crime is acquired and it emerges from
the criminal disposition. Based upon this, the criminal law decision should be held upon the
empirical and medical research as the notion of free choices cannot be moved to criminal law.
Since the wrongdoer is organically and hereditarily decided in his activities, criminal
prevention no longer assumes a part. Indeed, even the best conceivable danger of discipline

could presently don't forestall the unavoidable demonstration. The culprit didn't uninhibitedly
pick the degenerate act, however was automatically determined to do as such by his
biological constitution. Wrongdoing would hence be destiny, unavoidable, and subsequently
would not be the culprit's own obligation (Thorneycroft and Asquith, 2021). Lombroso
subsequently supported a punishment that isn't impartially estimated by the seriousness of the
wrongdoing, yet by the exclusively definable danger of the culprit. Basically, Lombroso
accepted that culpability was acquired and that offenders can be recognized by actual
imperfections that affirmed them as being atavistic. A burglar, for instance, might be
recognized by his or her expressive face, manual aptitude, and little, meandering eyes. The
regular killers in the interim had cool, shiny gazes, red eyes and large falcon like noses, and
rapists had ‘jug ears'.
This philosophy was considered to be very interesting but there was certain criticism
attached to it. Not everyone is rational and few of the acts specially certainly lacks credibility.
he violent ones were purely emotional but Lombroso also challenged this opinion. This
theory is also having lack of accuracy a sit does not take into consideration facial
disfigurement. It can also be stated that not all the offenders may have atavistic features, and
in addition to it, only 40% of the criminals to whom Lombroso looked at were having the
atavistic characteristics (Dunnage, 2018). Along with that, there might be people with the
atavistic characteristics but are not criminals. Apart from this, scientific racism can also been
seen a many of the atavistic features are those which are normal of people having the African
descent. Along with that, the idea that the people who are criminals cannot escape or run
away from this, as they are destined to it, is completed fake and irrelevant. Charles Goring, an
English contemporary of Cesare, had the option to demonstrate, based on his own
examination of jail detainees (and people from a benchmark group) in England, that
lawbreakers don't show critical contrasts in actual attributes from non-criminals. Different
peers of Cesare Lombroso likewise obviously reprimanded his hypothesis during his lifetime.
In the today’s world, Cesare Lombroso is viewed as the contributor of a cutting-edge
criminal science on account of the positivity that he spreaded. Nonetheless, his
anthropogenetic hypothesis of crime introduced here is measured as old. All things
considered, the basic examination of Lombroso's whole oeuvre is an unpredictable endeavor.
From the present point of view, Lombroso's experimental work ends up being unsystematic
and doesn't satisfy the present logical guidelines (Jaishankar and Thakre, 2017). The
suspicion of a "born criminal" as a developmental relapse in mankind's set of experiences
appears to be out and out crazy and silly. Gibson and Hahn Rafter, in any case, call attention

to the English complete release of "Criminal Man" that Lombroso's work did to be sure
compare to the logical guidelines of the nineteenth century.
Notwithstanding the way that Lombroso along with his hypothesis was broadly
reprimanded in his entire life and the influence of the positive criminological school is as yet
present today. Likewise, current criminal science is a result of research that, following
Lombroso, explore attributes of criminals and non-lawbreakers with the purpose to get to the
main drivers of wrongdoing dependent on proposed contrasts between these groups (Brown
and Barganier, 2018). Indeed, even today, there is as yet a part of examination that attempts
to clarify crime by utilizing biology. Obviously, the present work no longer accepts a genetic
deterministic atavism. The endeavor to ascertain chances, hazardous aspects and reserved
inclinations can, notwithstanding, be perceived in a similar line of advancement as
Lombroso's work.
A last judgment upon the Lombroso and his logical and scientific lifelong work
purpose should be accounted in a separated manner. His scientific case to criminological
examination makes him the originator of an advanced observational criminal science. It
should likewise be recognized that Lombroso was able to grow his organic endeavors at
clarification by ecological and social viewpoints (Becker, 2018). It is thusly off-base to
decipher him – as has frequently occurred – solely as an extreme agent of a determistic,
biological school. Lombroso, who was a Jew, would unquestionably not have supported the
abuse of his examination by German Nazism. By and by, the proposition of the conceived
criminal, well known at that point, arranged an expansive stage for racist thoughts. However,
it is important to note that in the recent years the bio-criminology has been reemerged which
is majorly because of the Lombroso’s legacy. It was introduced that the criminality was just
not the matter of sin but instead of this, it can be a medical problem as well which is required
to be examined.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Becker, P., 2018. Researching crime and criminals in the 19th century. The Handbook of the
History and Philosophy of Criminology, Oxford: Wiley Blackwell. pp.32-47.
Brown, E. and Barganier, G., 2018. 3. The History of Racial Science: Social Science and the
Birth of Criminology. In Race and Crime (pp. 67-106). University of California
Press.
Dunnage, J., 2018. The work of Cesare Lombroso and its reception: Further contexts and
perspectives. Crime, Histoire & Sociétés/Crime, History & Societies, 22(2), pp.5-8.
Guy, R. and Chomczyński, P. A., 2018. Bioethics and biosocial criminology: Hurdling the
status quo. Ethics, Medicine and Public Health. 7. pp.95-102.
Jaishankar, K. and Thakre, A. G., 2017. Explaining Criminal Behaviour. Demystifying
Criminal Justice Social Work in India. p.33.
Thorneycroft, R. and Asquith, N. L., 2021. Cripping criminology. Theoretical
Criminology. 25(2). pp.187-208.
Vincent, M., 2021. Remaking the ‘Born’Murderer: The Case of Moscow Serial Killer Vasili
Komarov and Lombrosian Legacies in Early Soviet Criminological
Discourse. History. 106(369). pp.86-107.