Darwinian criminality theory: a tragic chapter in history

Darwinists once believed that individual human beings occasionally reverted, both physically and mentally, to a prehuman stage of evolutionary development. This person was called an atavistic criminal type. As a result of this belief, the focus in Darwinian criminology was on identifying the criminal type who should be imprisoned permanently to protect society, even if the particular offense committed was minor. Conversely, if a "non-criminal type" committed even a serious offense, it was an aberration, and therefore, they concluded, imprisonment would serve no purpose. Darwinian criminologists believed punishment must fit the criminal and not the crime. Criminologists widely adopted this theory to explain crime and, as a result, it influenced both public opinion and official policy. The "criminal physical type" stereotype is still very much with us, even though the theory of evolutionary throwbacks (atavisms) as a causative factor in criminality was empirically disproved decades ago.

A short history of randomized experiments in criminology. A meager feast

This article discusses advantages of randomized experiments and key issues raised in the following articles. The main concern is the growth and decrease in the use of randomized experiments by the California Youth Authority, the U.S. National Institute of Justice, and the British Home Office, although other experiments are also discussed. It is concluded that feast and famine periods are influenced by key individuals. It is recommended that policy makers, practitioners, funders, the mass media, and the general public need better education in research quality so that they can tell the difference between good and poor evaluation studies. They might then demand better evaluations using randomized experiments.

Implementation of forensic DNA analysis on casework evidence at the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office Crime Laboratory: historical perspective

Palm Beach County is the largest of the 64 counties in the state of Florida, USA, with most of the area uninhabited and the population concentrated near the coastal region. The Serology/DNA Section of the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office (PBSO) Crime Laboratory serves a community of approximately one million residents, and an additional million tourists visit Palm Beach County every year. In addition to the unincorporated county regions, there are thirty-four city police agencies, the Florida State Highway Patrol, several university security agencies, the local Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the county Medical Examiners Office that all use the PBSO Serology/DNA Laboratory for the analysis of casework evidence. The purpose of this manuscript is to provide laboratories that are in the process of initiating DNA analysis on casework with practical information regarding the decision-making processes that occurred during the development of the DNA testing program at PBSO. Many of the concerns addressed in the early 1990's are still a guide to the development of a quality forensic DNA analysis program in the year 2001. Issues, such as personnel, laboratory space, internal standard operating procedures, implementation of DNA analysis on casework evidence, and building a relationship with law enforcement personnel are discussed.

[The science of anthropometry: measuring the human body and sociobiology, 1860-1920]

A antropometria é um método estatístico de análise do corpo humano criado por volta de 1850 para precisar o lugar do homem na natureza e definir os caracteres das raças humanas. Ela foi rapidamente utilizada para apreciar os fatores "biossociológicos" na origem da decadência ou da prosperidade das nações e discriminar os grupos sociais desviantes, criminais ou inadaptados. Os antropólogos esperavam manifestar assim sua competência especializada. Consideravam-se os únicos capazes de formular os verdadeiros fins da humanidade e os meios de apressar seus progressos. Esta ideologia profissional corrente foi criticada pelo anatomista Léonce Manouvrier, um adversário de Cesare Lombroso convertido à etiologia comum entre os sociólogos. Este artigo lembra os fundamentos da antropotecnia e os termos da controvérsia que opôs os teóricos da hereditariedade e do meio.

Ferdinand Tönnies on crime and society: an unexplored contribution to criminological society

I offer a discussion of the criminological sociology of Ferdinand Tönnies (1855-1936). While Tönnies is generally well known for his theory of Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft, his elaborate contributions to the sociological study of crime have been almost entirely neglected in the history of sociology. Situated within Tönnies’ general theoretical perspective, I present the central themes of Tönnies’ study of crime and discuss its conceptual and methodological characteristics as a distinct approach in criminological sociology. I additionally center on the importance of Tönnies’ criminological work for the reception and status of his sociological theory. I argue that the neglect of Tönnies’ crime studies has led to overlooking Tönnies’ aspiration to integrate sociological theory and empirical inquiry, which has contributed to misconstrue his unique conception of social order.

[Re-establishing the health of the state: medicine and national regeneration explained through a criminal trial at the turn of the 19th century]

This article aims to show how the discussions of a criminal trial at the turn of the nineteenth century suffice to shed light on the opinions of the Spanish people on the model of society that they wanted. Specifically, one of the principal aims of the essay is to enquire into the ideas that prevailed at that time on the role of science in the organization of society. Analysis of the discussion which came out of the trial helps to highlight the ways in which various factors influenced the development of medicine, in particular forensic medicine. As a result, the article also hopes to contribute to our understanding of how the discourse on criminality has functioned and changed in Spain.

Drug abuse control under FDA, 1938-1968

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[Contextual rationality and cognitive presupposition. An epistemological reflexion about Lombroso's case]

This article proposes an epistemological reflexion about the posture of the historian of human sciences towards his objects. Cesare Lombroso's theory of criminal anthropology was taken here as an example of the discussion because it seemed to be caricatural case. Considering that normative or whiggish perspectives cannot account for the logic of Lombroso's discourse, we attempt to develop here an alternative posture from which extrapolations could be made to other fields. This alternate is found in the introduction of the concepts of contextual rationality and cognitive presupposition and in a reconsideration of the time duration.