Cesare Lombroso

Research Paper # 57928

Criminology
Criminology > Criminal Justice and Corrections

Cesare Lombroso

A look at the theories of Lombroso, the father of modern criminology.

3,005 words () | 14 sources | APA | 2005 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper compares some of the traditional, mythic views of Lombroso's work in great detail, as reflected in his own original work and the works of other great criminological minds. This paper focuses on the development of his theories, the popularity they enjoyed then and now, and how modern criminologists use his theories in studies of today.

From the Paper:

"Cesare Lombroso (1835-1909), the "father of modern criminology" (Mannheim, 1972: 232), gained much attention in the field of criminology during the end of the 19th Century. His ideas spread not only throughout Europe, but to the United States as well. His theory relied on the idea of atavism, the idea that criminals were a sort of evolutionary "throwback" to an earlier stage in human evolution (Schaefer, 1969: 126). This led to his classification of criminals to include categories such as born criminals, criminaloids, and insane criminals, as well as research on female offenders."