discussion
For this discussion, I chose Lombroso’s theory of atavism and born criminals, which posits that criminality was inherited and that an individual ‘born criminal’ could be identified by physical (congenital) defects, which confirmed a criminal as savage or atavistic. One of the advantages of Lombroso’s theory is that it has led to further developments in the explanation of criminality, and it is often regarded as responsible for the development of newer theories that have sound scientific evidence. Based on Lombroso, he perceived crime as a form of illness that was caused by pathological factors, a genetic disorder that is inherited. For example, a born criminal can be anatomically identified by such characteristics as the sloping forehead, asymmetry of the face, excessive length of arms, ears of unusual size, prognathism, physical stigmata, and asymmetry of the cranium. Based on this, it is hard for a person to refrain from engaging in crime since it is in his personality, and this is one of the reasons why the theory should be utilized in identifying criminals.
Another strength associated with Lombroso’s theory of crime is that it helps identify the individual differences in behavior that can predispose certain people into committing crimes. Every person is different from the other, and this means that we exhibit differences in behavior. However, some people are born violent, and this translates to real-life experiences of becoming violent. Individuals exhibiting such behaviors have higher chances of being arrested either due to minor crimes to violent ones such as robbery with violence. The postulation is correct as there are people who are born calm and do not like to engage in violent behaviors. Also, there are people who begin as pick-pocketers at a very young age, not because they are in dire need of the money or the materials stolen. Based on this, law enforcers need to keep an eye on such individuals as they have a higher probability of committing greater crimes in the future.