The eugenics movement focused on improving the human race by emphasizing the relationship between crime and?

Get more with Examzify Plus

Remove ads, unlock favorites, save progress, and access premium tools across devices.

FavoritesSave progressAd-free
From $9.99Learn more

Study for the Criminological Theory Exam. Assess your understanding with interactive quizzes, flashcards, and detailed explanations. Prepare effectively and confidently for your exam!

The eugenics movement concentrated on the belief that the human race could be improved through selective breeding and that certain traits, including criminal behavior, were inherited. This perspective leaned heavily on the notion of intelligence as a genetic trait that could predispose individuals to criminality. Proponents of eugenics argued that lower intelligence levels were linked with higher crime rates and that by controlling reproduction, society could enhance overall intelligence levels and thereby reduce crime. This idea was rooted in a misguided understanding of heredity and a simplification of the complex social factors that contribute to criminal behavior.

Other considerations, such as poverty, opportunity, and social upbringing, are important in understanding crime but were not the primary focus of the eugenics movement, which emphasized biological determinism over socioeconomic and environmental factors. Thus, the relationship between intelligence and crime was central to eugenic ideology, making it the correct answer in the context of this question.

Subscribe

Get the latest from Examzify

You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our privacy policy