ENGLISH CONVICT - A STATISTICAL STUDY INCLUDING THE SCHEDULE OF MEASUREMENTS AND GENERAL ANTHROPOLOGICAL DATA

• NCJ Number: 12439
• Author(s): C Goring
• Date Published: 1972
• Length: 548 pages
• Publication Type: Historical Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS.

Annotation

CLASSIC STATISTICAL STUDY PUBLISHED IN 1913 MEASURING NEARLY 100 PHYSICAL AND MENTAL CHARACTERISTICS OF ENGLISH CONVICTS TO DETERMINE THEIR DEVIATION FROM THE NORMAL.

Abstract

NOTABLE FEATURES OF THE AUTHOR'S RESEARCH METHODOLOGY WERE THE USE OF THE NEWLY-DEVELOPED PEARSON PRODUCTMOMENT CORRELATION COEFFICIENT AND THE METHOD OF COMPARING GROUPS OF BOTH CRIMINALS AND NON-CRIMINALS FOR THE SAME CHARACTERISTICS. THE AUTHOR'S ANALYSIS OF THE DATA REJECTS THE VIEW THAT THERE ARE SPECIFIC PHYSICAL AND MENTAL CHARACTERISTICS IDENTIFYING THE CRIMINAL. HE FURTHER CONCLUDES THAT THE INFLUENCE OF HEREDITY AND THE PRESENCE OF MENTAL DEFECTIVENESS ARE FAR MORE SIGNIFICANT FACTORS THAN PARENTAL INFLUENCE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR. AN INTRODUCTORY ESSAY DISCUSSES THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY IN THE HISTORY OF CRIMINOLOGY.