Biological Criminological Theory Of Murder

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Murder - it’s violent, malicious, and it’s perpetrated by individuals with a large bone structure, large muscles and a naturally athletic physique. Can this be an accurate statement? Murder is the act of unlawfully and deliberately killing someone. It is considered a serious offence in Canada. One biological criminological theory could explain this heinous crime. It may be possible to draw a connection between the aggressive personality of some men and the crime of murder. The theory of somatotyping suggests large aggressive men may be more apt to commit murder. In the year 2015, 604 murders were committed in Canada, with 174 being committed in Ontario (Stats Canada, 2015.) Murder is a very serious crime and is an indictable offense in …show more content…

Somatotypes are anatomical categories used describe the varying body shapes of men. William Sheldon invented and analyzed these somatotypes in relation to explaining criminal behaviour and temperament. He developed the idea of three main somatotypes: the mesomorph, the ectomorph, and the endomorph. Men described as mesomorphs have well-defined muscles and large bones. The bones and muscles of the head are prominent, described as having a square face with pronounced cheekbones. Mesomorphs are somotonic, meaning they are active, dynamic, assertive and aggressive in nature. Ectomorphs have a frailer and lighter physique in comparison with the other two. The bones are light, muscles are slight and they have relatively long arms with drooping shoulders. Ectomorphs tend to have long faces, fingers, toes and necks. They are depicted as being cerebrotonic, and are characterized as intellectuals, emotionally restrained, and introverted. The body of endomorphs can be described as being round and soft with a high waist, soft skin and fine hair. The heads of endomorphs are spherical and larger, with broad faces. They are associated with having a viscerotonic personality, which can be defined as sociable, easy-going and comfort …show more content…

Unlawfully and deliberately killing someone is an act that has no regard for human life. If the crime is incredibly fierce, involving active participation and little regard for the person being killed, somatotyping may explain why some murders occur. Using the same inductive reasoning as Sheldon, it is quite possible to assume mesomorphs are more prone to committing murder. Sheldon’s theory of somatotyping may be directly connected to the motives involved in committing murder that are present in the somatotyping of mesomorphs. This type of evidence provides an accurate clear possibility that mesomorphs may be more disposed to

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