The rise of biocriminology

Capturing observable bodily economies of 'criminal man

Bibliographic Data

ID5830591
AuthorsKevin Walby (0000-0002-5107-2309, Carleton University, corresponding author), Nicolas Carrier (0000-0001-6891-048X, Carleton University)
Year2010
Volume10
Issue3
Pages261-285
Publication date2010-07-08
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueCriminology & Criminal Justice (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1748-8958 • E-ISSN: 1748-8966
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/1748895810370314
OpenAlexW2166923977
LanguageEN
Citations received12
References cited78

Revisiting the contributions of numerous foundational biocriminological works, this article uses the concept 'bodily economies' to analyze the emergence and solidification of criminological pathologizations of the bios dependent on the capture and analysis of human corporeal matter. The scholars we discuss (Lombroso, Ellis, Goring, Hooton, and the Gluecks) each causally equate some part of the body with inbuilt criminality. Through an exegesis of their work, we illustrate how the boundaries of the social body are constituted in and through corporeal capturings and classifications of 'criminal man'. Our analysis investigates the biocriminological method of locating sources of criminality inside the body, which still permeates the new 'science of criminals' used as a tool to define and protect the social body. We conclude by discussing the renewed biocriminological interest in preventing criminality through forecasting it in various scientific constructs and visualizations of the inner body

Exegesis · Body Image and Dysmorphia Studies · Historical and Scientific Studies · Psychedelics and Drug Studies

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