Types of criminals, according to Cesar Lombroso

According to Cesare Lombroso, a criminal is a person with problems who has not evolved properly according to Darwinian theory . He valued the possibility of special institutions for these people , since prisons or psychiatric hospitals are sometimes not appropriate places for them. He took into account that they are people with mental health problems, in addition to considering their anthropological and psychological characteristics, and especially their skull type, etc.

Cesare Lombroso 's 1876 work, Experimental Anthropological Treatise on Criminal Man , divides criminal types into six categories:

• Criminal nato

This type of offender has specific physical characteristics such as a small skull, a receding forehead, or a bulge at the bottom of the head . Psychologically , they are characterized by impulsiveness, cruelty, a lack of moral sense , and insensitivity.

• Morally insane criminal

Physically, this criminal has a skull with a capacity equal to or greater than normal, but usually has a large jaw. The distinguishing traits are found primarily at the psychological level: they are unpleasant, selfish, vain, and intelligent, as well as cruel and undisciplined.

• Epileptic criminal

For Lombroso, epilepsy was a sign of criminality , and he considered criminals with epilepsy more dangerous than the morally insane. He saw them as lazy, destructive, extremely violent, and prone to suicide.

• Passionate criminal

In this case , Lombroso doesn't specify concrete physical characteristics, but he does establish an age range, between 20 and 30 years old. More than a third of crimes of passion are women, according to the Italian physician. In general, they show shock after the criminal act and tend to confess and commit suicide afterward.

• Crazy criminal

These types of criminals are mentally ill and not responsible for their actions due to a lack of reasoning ability. There are three types of mentally ill criminals: the hysterical, the alcoholic, and the mattoid . The latter commits crimes impulsively, crossing the line between sanity and insanity.

• Occasional offender

Lombroso divides this category into three subtypes:

• • Pseudo-criminals: These are those who commit involuntary and minor crimes such as theft, arson, or acts in defense of honor.
  • Criminaloids: These types of people have empathy and commit crimes that they would not commit in a normal situation, pressured by circumstances.
  • Regular or professional: These are people who commit crimes from childhood. Personal circumstances drive them to commit more crimes until they become professional offenders.

Lombroso's theories served to highlight the importance of biological, social, economic, and psychological factors in the commission of a crime. Although his postulates remained valid for years , they were superseded in the 20th century by researchers who developed modern criminology and focused their studies on criminalization, the environment, and how it influences both the offender and the victim, using an empirical and multidisciplinary scientific approach.

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