The classical school of criminology
Is a set of ideas that focuses on deterrence and considers crime the result of offenders free will
Two basic tenets of classical thought are that
1. Criminal offenders freely choose to break the law and that
2. Punishment should be only as serious as the offense
Classical criminology ignores offenders rationalizations and excuses and instead punishes them for
For their behavior
Like beccaria, Bentham advocated a new way of dealing with crime based upon the concept of
utilitarianism
Utilitarianism principles argued that
Ethical behaviors allows the greatest number of people to benefit and society is in much better shape when all benefit , than when each individual looks out for only his/her interest
utilitarianism
Idea based on the principal of "the greatest good for the greatest number". Jeremy believed that this principle should be applied to every nation government, economy, and judicial system
Rational choice theory has it roots in the
classical school of criminology
Classical thinkers aimed to bring
humanitarian reform to the legal system
classical thinkers sought change not to make life easier for offenders but to
protect society from harm done by those of offenders
Cesare Beccaria
laid the foundation for the classical school of thought with the idea of free will
Cesare Beccaria believed that because people choose to commit crimes, they are
accountable for their actions
Cesare Beccaria believed that humanity is
is very selfish and do things that are in our own self-interest
Cesare Beccaria believed that the purpose of criminal laws should be to
maintain social order and curb criminal behavior
Cesare Beccaria believed that the only way we can control a rational person is through
punishment
Cesare Beccaria believed that the right punishment is not based on revenge, its based on
deterrence
Cesare Beccaria believed that in order to deter, punshinment must be
1) Swift- (you cant wait forever to punish someone)
2) Certain- (they have to believe that they'll get caught)
3) Sufficiently severe
deterrence theory
the idea that the threat of punishments will discourage people from committing crimes
Cesare Beccaria was a big advocate of
fairness, justice and equality
Why did Cesare Beccaria believe that the power of judges should be limited
We should limit the power of judges so that they didn't have discretion to eliminate bias. the only thing we should look at when sentencing someone is the criminal act.
-The legislature make laws and the judge determines guilt
Cesare Beccaria believed that punishment should not be cruel and usual but
proportionate to the crime
Cesare Beccaria believed that people are innocent until
until proven guilty
Cesare Beccaria believed that individuals perform a moral calculus when deciding whether to break a law, meaning that
individuals act to maximize pleasure and minimize pain
Cesare Beccaria believed that prevention of crime is more important than
than the punishment of crime
Jeremy Bentham classical school of thought was based on
1) Utilitarianism
2) hedonism (Pursuit of pleasure)
3) Pleasure/Pain principle
Jeremy Bentham said that crime is driven by
human choices and we weigh the pleasure and pain of an action
Jeremy Bentham believed that people decided to act based on
what they believe will bring them the greatest amount of pleasure and least amount of pain
Because of free will, Jeremy Bentham believed that humans (we) are able to
are able to make rational choices and calculated decisions
Founder of Hedonistic Calculus
Jeremy Bentham
According to Jeremy Bentham, a offender does what before breaking the law
A offender does a hedonistic calculus, in which he/she calculates breaking the law by weighing the benefits/costs of their action
Rational choice theory
teaches that crime is rational and people make rational choices before committing a crime or engaging in deviant acts
Rational choice theory defines crime as
Rational behavior
Jeremy Bentham had the goal of producing
producing hierarchy of punishment to deter crime (idea of proportionality)
Positivism
branch of criminology that explains criminal behavior in terms of biological, psychological, and sociological factors
a) People commit crimes because of factors beyond their control
b) no opportunists
c)influenced by culture, environment, and peers
d) rehabilitation
e) scientific method
Positivist school of criminology
Positivist thinkers believed that strong influences, such as the environment promotes people to
promotes people to commit crimes
rational choice theory addresses the crime problem
1) situational crime prevention
2) deterrence
3) incapacitation
incapacitation
confinement or isolation from society
deterrence
the discouragement or prevention of crimes through the fear of punishment
Variations of rational choice theory
1) Situational crime theory
2) Routine activities theory
Situational crime theory
The decision to commit a crime is influenced by opportunity, risk, and the benefits attached to the crime
Routine activities theory
the decision to commit a crime is limited t the victim and offenders lifestyle
The school of thought that argues that humans do not have free will, that their behavior is determined by biological, sociological and psychological factors
Positivist school of criminology
positivist thinkers believe that the criminal justice system should
should try to rehabilitate offenders
Cesare Lombroso (Positivist school of criminology)
Italian thinker who stressed the biological roots of crime and argued that there was a such thing as "born criminal
Body types (Biology-Positivist school of criminology)
humans can be divided into three basic body types pr somatotypes
1)Endomorph- excessive fat and extrovert
2) Mesomorph- extremely active and aggressive
most likely to be involved in serious criminal activity
3) Ectomorph - thin body type and introvert (lo
Positivist biologist thinkers also linked criminality as
as an inherited trait
psychological theories (Positivist school of criminology)
1) Low IQ causes crime
2) Freud theories ( Id, ego, super ego)
3)mental illness and crime
4) psychopathic traits
Sociological theories of crime (Positivist school of criminology)
1) Social disorganization
2) Social ecology/ Concentric zone theory
3) Strain/Anomie theory
4) Control theory
5) Social learning theory
6) Modeling theory
7) Differential association
8)Reinforcement theory
9) labeling theory
10) conflict theory
Crime stems from certain community or neighborhood characteristics (poverty, unemployment etc.)
Social disorganization
Crime increases toward the inner city areas. people living in these areas lack sense of community
Concentric zone theory
High rates of crime and other problems persists within the same neighborhood over long periods of time regardless of who lives there
Social ecology
Coined by Emile Durkheim to explain suicide in french society and later applied by Robert Merton
Anomie theory
Anomie
state of normlessness or norm confusion within society
Robert Merton version of anomie theory looks at
American society and what happens when an individual realizes that not everyone can achieve the American Dream
Argues that deviance occurs when a society does not give all its members equal ability to achieve socially acceptable goals
Roberts Merton Strain Theory
Strain
much like stress: being unable to reach the goal of wealth and success (American dream) creates strain with social mores, personal strain and strain with family.
Roberts Merton argued that material wealth is an overreaching goal in American society as a result people may feel worthless if they do not reach this goal and believe they must
they must commit a crime
Instead of asking why people commit crimes? this theory seek to explain "why they don't do it
Control theory
According to the control theory, four reason why people don't commit crime are
1) attachment
2) involvement
3) commitment
4) belief
a)criminal behavior is learned, just like anything else
b) crime is learned from environment/ socialization
c) you can learn from people you look up to or respect
social learning theory
a theory that believes that crime is simply a war between the have and the have nots. does not focus on individual behavior but treatment by the criminal justice system
For example- white-collar offenders is more likely to receive lenient treatment than t
conflict theory
people learn how to act by observing others
Modeling theory
Theories related to the social learning theory
1 modeling theory
2 differential association
3 reinforcement theory
crime is learned through interaction with antisocial peers
Differential association
Process of shaping behavior by controlling the consequences of the behavior
reinforcement theory
Theories under the classical school of criminology
deterrence theory
Theories under the neo-classical school of criminology
1) rational choice theory
2) routine activity theory
offenders calculate the advantages and disadvantages of breaking the law and what type of offense to commit
rational choice theory
negative labels placed on individuals allow society to treat them as deviants. These individuals internalize the labels and act upon this new diminished self concept
Labeling theory