Demonological and Biological Theories

Demonological Theories

As mentioned in a previous lesson, the earliest theories on crime causation were all about spirits and nature. Those theories* fall under the banner of demonological theories.

In the ancient times, it was believed that people committed crimes due to possession by demonic spirits. This evil influence made people criminal and sinful. There is no consideration for free will. Essentially, people are supposedly stripped of free will and made to commit crimes by otherworldly beings.

During this time, however, no empirical or scientific experimentation were done to test this idea. Hence, it is not considered a sufficient explanation to the crime phenomenon.

Nevertheless, possibly due to strong religious devotion, demonological theories are still has relevancy in some parts of the world. These parts still believe that crime is Satan's work.

Today, however, we have new theories that provide contemporary and more justifiable explanations of criminal behavior.

Reasons Why Delinquents and Offenders are Punished

• General Deterrence Punishing criminal offenders will strike fear in other people's hearts, making them less likely to commit delinquency or crime.

• Specific Deterrence Punishment will strike fear in wrongdoer's hearts, making them less likely to offend again.

• Incapacitation Wrongdoers should be locked up in jail so that they could do no more wrong.

• Retribution This reasoning rejects the idea that anything good or useful will follow or result from punishing offenders. Still, criminals must be punished. But this is done simply because they deserve it. A punishment is morally right and just in light of the harm and damage caused by the offense. Punishing criminals have no positive purpose or positive effect on the hearts and minds of people.

Biological Theories

According to this group of theories, crime is in the brain. That is, criminality happens based on the biological nature of every individual and is affected only by factors of genetics, neurology, or physical appearance.

Early Biological Theories

Cesare Lombroso, in 1876, proposed the atavistic theory in his influential work, The Criminal Man. This theory suggests that there exists the born criminal. These people are supposedly different from regular people because they possess certain physical abnormalities that make them less than human.

These physical abnormalities are called a stigmata - physical manifestations of an atavism which is a throwback to an earlier stage of human evolutionary development. In other words, Lombroso proposed that criminality comes from people who are less evolved and this is visible through their "subhuman" physical characteristics.

Lombroso was very likely to suggest that these people are more similar to earlier stages of humanity that to the modern man. They could even be the "missing link." He claimed that born criminals should be the focus of actions against criminality in society.

Earnest Hooton, known as the Prophet of Human Decay, proposed the General Inferiority Theory. He believed that humanity is doomed by our genetic degradation. He argued that crime comes from inferior people. These people have mediocre builds who tend to break the law because of their characterlessness. He further suggested that criminals should be permanently exiled to self-governing territories to isolate them from society and that they should be sterilized to prevent further offspring.

William Sheldon proposed the Somatotype Theory which advances the idea that a person's body type affects their temperament. He classified people into three groups: the ectomorphs, the mesomorphs and the endomorphs.

According to this theory, the people who tend to become criminals are those with mesomorphic bodies because their strong physical build gives them an intimidating appearance. They also tend to commit violent crimes and tend to want power and dominance.

In 1857, B.A. Morel proposed the Degeneration Theory. This theory stated that people who are in "lower" social classes or races are predisposed towards neurological and mental illnesses, thus making them more likely to become criminals. Substance abuse, including drugs and alcohol, tend to be very common amongst these people, thus worsening the initial predisposition to crime. The name of the theory comes from its ultimate idea that states that the aforementioned can be inherited among generations. Thus, humanity is said to be regressing throughout the generations.

Modern Biological Theories

Contemporary biological theories related to crime come from neuroscience and genetics.

Another important part of the brain is its chemistry. Neuroscientists also study chemicals in the brain, known as neurotransmitters, that affect human behavior. There are more than a few of them, but of particular interest to criminologists are the dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin.