The question (15 marks)
Examine the individual causes of criminal behaviour. Do any of them survive the tests a scientific theory of causation must meet? (15 marks)
MU Module II, causes of crime; chapters on the individual and the social causes of criminal behaviour.
Plan your answer on paper before you look at the authorities — issue first, then the rule, then apply it to these facts.
It tests Unit 2 · The Causes of Criminal Behaviour, and the Classification of Criminals of Criminology and Penology.
Authorities you will need
- Lombroso, on atavism, and Charles Goring's statistical refutation
- Freud, on the id, ego and superego, and on female criminality
- Kohlberg, on the six stages of moral reasoning in three levels
- The generative-phases plea and the partial defence of infanticide
How an answer is marked
A full-marks answer names the issue in one line, states the rule with its section, cites the authority, applies it to these facts and concludes — in that order. The app's model answer for this question is written in exactly that shape, with a checklist to mark your own attempt against.