Compare and Contrast two criminological approaches to understanding the commission of crime

Yet another criticism is their belief in deterrence. Research has shown that there is little correlation between punishment and crime, meaning that there is not a significant amount of information showing that deterrence actually works leading it into a controversial issue. People commit crimes for many different reasons that classicalists fail to acknowledge. Classical criminology was the first big step into what makes up the field of criminology today, dominating around the eighteenth century. A change in the way information was assembled with the emergence of the scientific method challenged the classical perspective and introduced the theory of Positivism.

Bentham revolutionized prisons and made them both more affective and hospitable. Bentham designed a type of prison watch tower called the panopticon. The panopticon design allowed observers in an institution to keep an eye on the inmates without the inmates knowing. (Warburton, 124) The English parliament promised to construct the panopticon, but they didn’t. Despite this fact, other prisons around the world used his design like the Kilmainham Gaul in Dublin. (Jeremy Bentham life, Paragraph 11) By not having the inmates know if they were being watched or not, it would make the inmates behave better. If the inmates behaved better, then the prison would be more effective in enforcing proper behavior. Jeremy Bentham believed, “All punishment in itself is evil, and it should only be used to diminish greater evil.” (Living philosophy, paragraph 3) He attacked criminal laws viciously due to his belief that the prisons were too harsh. Bentham had a campaign for penal reform, which included making prisons more hospitable. (Strangroom, 95). Bentham recognized that prisons were necessary and decided to make them as less harsh as possible so they do not inflict pain. He again

Each of these theories had led to many new theories used today, such as the Rational Choice theory, Biosocial and Psychological Theory, Critical Theory, Cultural Deviance Theory, Life Course Theory, and many more. The one thing in common with every theory is that they all explain at least one behavioral factor that leads to crime. Today, all these theories, and more, are researched and taken into account when trying to understand why a criminal does what they do.

Criminological theories interpret the competing paradigms of Human Nature, Social Order, Definition of Crime, Extent and Distribution of Crime, Causes of Crime, and Policy, differently. Even though these theories have added to societies understanding of criminal behaviour, all have been unable to explain why punishment or treatment of offenders is unable to prevent deviancy, and thus are ineffective methods of control. The new penology is a contemporary response that favours the management of criminals by predicting future harm on society. However, all criminological theories are linked as they are a product of the historical time and place, and because of their contextual history, they will continue to reappear depending on the current

This essay will outline how crime theories are able to assist in recognizing the causes of criminal activity, as well as demonstrating two criminological theories to two particular crimes. Overviews of trends, dimensions and victim/offenders characteristics of both crime groups will be specified. The two particular crimes that will be demonstrated throughout this essay are; Violent Crime (focusing on Assault) being linked with social learning theory and White Collar crime (focusing on terrorism) being linked to General Strain theory. In criminology, determining the motive of why people commit crimes is crucial. Over the years, many theories have been developed and they continue to be studied as criminologists pursue the best answers in eventually diminishing certain types of crime including assaults and terrorism, which will be focused on.

Criminology and the criminal justice system have framed a “taken-for-granted, common-sense” understanding of ‘crime’ and the ‘criminal’ (Tierney, 2010). ‘Crime’ is commonly understood as a violation of the criminal law; originating from religion and the sin of God and then moving towards Classicalism. Classicalism rests on the assumption of free will and recognises rational choice of the individual. It influences much of our system of justice today; especially aspects of due process. It argues that criminality is therefore part of nature; and order is maintained through law and punishments. We can see this through Beccaria’s approach of certainty, celerity and severity (Beccaria, cited in Newburn, 2013, pp116). Positivism, associated with theorists such as Lombroso, offered more of a scientific approach in identifying the causes of crime and could recognise impaired ability such as mental illness. It argues that ‘crime’ is

The Positivist School of criminology began in the late 19th century and is still a part of society today. The Positivist School suggests that in order to control crime, you have to use scientific methods to look for the causes of crime. Some important developments the theory included were controlling human behavior, controlling criminal behavior, industrial revolutions, the emergence of modern science, and finally Darwin's theory of evolution. Many assumptions had been made, but a few in particular stood out to be the most important. Theorists said that human nature is determined before you are even born. Also that it is differentiated which means that criminals are different from non-criminals. The five methodologies are based on biological characteristics that may cause the criminals to commit the crimes they based on certain characteristics. The first method is physiognomy. This judges character by facial features as well as physical features. It can be traced back to Ancient Greece and Rome. The second is

In order for the Criminal Justice System to effectively deter crime, it is imperative to understand what causes crime, understand why crime exists and why offenders engage in criminal behaviour. In the 18th century criminologists such as Jeremy Bentham, Cesare Bonesana-Beccaria and Cesare Lombroso all established criminological theories, in an attempt to achieve this goal. The most influential theories are known as the Classical and Positivist perspectives.

He approached the study of criminals from a sociological perspec¬tive, that is, by studying the criminal's relationship to society rather than the criminal's individual personality or physical traits. He also recommended that society focus on the preven¬tion rather than the punishment of crime.

Bentham agreed with much of Beccaria’s ideologies; however, Bentham had his own opinions on some elements of offending and the justice system. Prisons were primarily used for offenders waiting trial or transportation; instead, Bentham advocated utilising the prison system as a form of punishment (Pond, 1999). Moreover, Bentham suggested that new prisons should be built in the form of a ‘panopticon’, a circular building, with one central watch tower so that prisoners could be monitored at all times (Hale et al, 2013). These prisons were to be built within the city boundaries, the sole purpose was to serve as a warning to society of their fate should they choose to commit a crime (Burke, 2014). Bentham illustrated his shared rejection of the death penalty; however, unlike Beccaria, Bentham believed that the most heinous crimes such as murder deserved such punishment (Newburn, 2013).

I do believe that criminological theory play a big role in shaping the policies in criminal justice. All of these theories give a great inside on why many individuals choose to commit crimes and why they like to stay in that world, giving policymakers the tools necessary so they can tailor more effective policies that will target crime in every way possible.

Modern criminology finds it “out of favor” due to its “get tough” drive supported by mass imprisonment. While classical criminology theoretical proponents were seen as being subjective on the psychological, sociological, cultural, and structural explanations, modern perspective on criminology proposes integrated perceptual and structural models that offer a more extensive range of variables at different levels of analysis (Clyne, 2016). Classical theory proponents were perceived as being reductionists and simplistic in a manner that emphasized on the advantages of crime commission through cost as depicted in the payoff systems as compared to the imprisonment option. Perhaps that was the reason they were regarded as being meaningless while at the same time extensive in their instrument. Modern criminology refuses to identify specific factors to crime commission and instead argue that the commission of a crime is a result of many other varying factors that lead up to the final act of commission. Contemporarily, there different perceptual and structural models that define and guide offending which helps in creating a wide range of variables in the way crime is committed and how it should be addressed.

The criminal justice system is complex and constantly changing, it has evolved through time, influenced and transformed by various historical periods. Criminality has and will always be an aspect of humanity, interpreted in different ways according to shifts in the various spheres of society, leaving the justice system responsible for adopting these changes. There have been several schools of thought that have altered the system, forming new perspectives in order to explain why individuals engage in criminal behavior. Classical theory was one of the first schools of thought, its development brought about some big shifts of perceptions in regard to the understanding of crime and criminals. The significant changes that resulted from the classical

Classical Theory, which developed in the mid 18th century, was based on utilitarian philosophy. Cesare Beccaria, author of On Crimes and Punishments (1763–64), Jeremy Bentham, inventor of the panopticon, and other classical school philosophers argued that people have free will to choose how to act; that deterrence is based upon the notion of the human being as a 'hedonist' who seeks pleasure and

“Classical Criminology was developed in the eighteenth century in opposition to the use of extreme and arbitrary punishments. Classical Criminology advocated a rational approach that punishment ought to be imposed only to the extent necessary to ensure a deterrent.” (Rowe, 2012: 191)