The Theory Of The Classical Theory

The classical perspective founded by Cesare Beccaria and Jeremy Bentham; stated that at people choose to commit crime after they considered the pros and cons that could be associated with a crime, and believed that the pros outweighed the cons (Tonry,2014). The theory relied on deterring criminal acts by assuring that the consequences of crime are absolute, harsh, and quickly administered (Tonry,2014).

In classical theory, the main objective of study is the offence and the nature of the offender is a rational, free-willed, calculating and normal individual (Aker, 2012). However, it became apparent that some were more motivated to commit crime than others, regardless of deterrence. Therefore, the classical doctrine cannot account for re-offending. Based on empirical research done on convicted offenders, the notion of deterrence was rarely given thought of (Burke, 2013). Initially, most offenders give a lot of thought to the notion of punishment; however, in the process of committing the offence, offenders give little consideration to deterrence and consequences. As a result, this defies whether the purpose of deterrence is, in fact, achieving what it is meant to (Burke, 2013). The model is idealistic, that individuals could be controlled by the threat of punishment- by the likelihood of arrest, prosecution and

Crime have existed over many centuries, different eras affect the flow of crime and within those eras. Furthermore amongst individuals, there was different way of thinking into how to reduce and eliminate occurred. The act of crime cannot be eliminated, as different individuals have different perspectives of crime and for theses reasons, have different methods of advocating and eliminating crime. This essay will firstly explore the views of Classical Theory, by looking at Cesane Beccaria, the father of Classical theory and Jeremy Bentham, the founder of Utilitarian and explore how there influences are incorporated into laws and regulations, around the world. Secondly, Positivism theory explores the biological, psychological and environment

The way that we deal with criminals today is center and established based on how Cesare Beccaria defined and stated it. Who is Cesare Beccaria? Cesare Beccaria is an Italian scholar born in Milan, Lombardy, Italy on Saturday March 14, 1738. He died at the age of 56 in the same city on Friday, November 28, 1794. Cesare Beccaria was an Italian criminologist, a jurist, a philosopher, and a politician who is widely considered as the most talented jurist [3] and one of the greatest thinkers of the Age of Enlightenment. Recognized to be one of the fathers of classical criminal theory and modern penology, he is well remembered for his writings on “On Crimes and Punishments” written in 1764, which condemned torture and the death penalty, and was a founding work in the field of penology and the Classical school of criminology by promoting criminal justice. (citation)

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.

I will discuss the nuances of the deterrence theory and whether or not it’s a viable form of preventing crime. The reason we have laws and punishments is to deter people from committing crimes. Deterrence is an inherent concept within criminal law. Many believe that people will commit crimes regardless of deterrence and therefore efforts to deter are in vein. I will delve into Cesare Beccaria’s view on deterrence and whether he thought it was practical for decreasing crime. I will talk about deviance and what makes a person deviant. I believe deviance has a direct correlation with deterrence. Lastly I will determine if deterrence is indeed efficient and effective or if it has no effect.

The classical school of criminology is foundationally based upon the history of crime and punishment. Throughout history, crime was dealt with in an extremely harsh and inhumane manner. Criminals and suspected criminals were quartered, burnt at the stake, tortured, and subjected to other forms of extreme violence. These methods were used to get a confession or punish people for even minor crimes such as theft. The people of the Enlightenment period of the late 1600 's paid attention to this behavior and this is why a

Criminology is a field that has been researched prolong. Most of the information explaining crime and delinquency is based on facts about crime (Vold, Bernard, & Daly 2002, p.1). The aim of this paper is to describe the theories of crime and punishment according to the positivists Emile Durkheim and Cesare Lombroso, and the classical criminologist Marcese de Beccaria. The theories were developed as a response to the industrialisation and the modernisation of the societies in the 18th and 19th centuries and were aiming to create a rational society and re-establish social solidarity (Vold et al 2002, p.101). The criminological perspectives of crime and punishment will be discussed in a form of dialogue between the three theorists exploring

Cesare Beccaria is the “Father of Classical Criminology” and justified punishment on the principle of utility. Beccaria focused on reforming the Criminal Justice System and believed that punishment should be for the better good for society, as well as the individual, and deter others from committing crime and prevent criminals from recommitting crime. He believes effective punishment must certain, swift, and severe to get the desired effect on society and the offender (Robert, Cullen, and Ball 2015). He is also the author of his book Of Crime and Punishment, which discussed his philosophy on the purposes

Italian philosopher Cesare Beccaria is closely connected to rational classical criminology. Beccaria believed in fair and certain punishment to deter crime because he thought people were self-centered and egotistical. Fear of punishment would stop them from committing crimes. Beccaria thought that

“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)

The neoclassical theory is a revision of the classical school when it comes to factors that might inhibit the exercise of free will. The theory defines criminal behavior as a rational choice; however, the theory didn’t examine every type of crime. Neoclassical focuses on crimes that are often violent or uncontrollable, and committed by offenders who appeared incapable of remorse. (Bohm & Vogel, 2011 pg. 21) They believed that in order to deter, reduce, or eliminate crime, it needed to begin with stricter child practices, enhanced punishments, and increased surveillance and security. When it comes to the punishment of crimes, the punishment needs to fit the crime.

In my practice experience, I used to apply the theory of Elizabeth R Lenz. She

In the 18th century Cesare Beccaria- an Italian philosopher, doomed the concept of torture and death penalty by introducing the term "criminology" to the world. At present, nearly all countries in the world have adopted the criminal justice system. Criminal justice consists of two tools: Law and Order. On the road to maintain Law and Order, penalty like Prison Term has been espoused. Prison Term could be defined as the length of incarceration for an offender, where the legnth varies from few days to months in a prison. It also embraces life terms in case of serious crimes like manslaughter, rape, murder, armed robbery, and kidnapping. However in the past two decades, increase in a crime rate and prisoners in incarceration indicate the

Classical Criminology first emerged in the 18th century when individuals started to rebel against the harsh punishments given across Europe and America. Punishments rarely fit the crime and were severe and excessive as a tool to scare individuals from committing crime. Before this, was considered the enlightenment period, which was an era of thinking crime, was solely the product of evil and deserved to be punished severely. Religious views dominated the criminal justice system suggesting criminality was the result of the devil. Punishments were often barbaric and ruthless. Then the feudal system started to develop and individuals were employed as police and judges to maintain social order. However the courts were unjust and usually lenient to those of the upper class. Cesare Beccaria (1738-1794) is probably most well known as the founding father of the school of classical criminology. He protested against the current legal system and pushed for those in power to see that individuals are rational beings and deserve rational repercussions. In his most popular work; Essay on Crimes and Punishments, he protested against the cruel punishments and suggested that they must only be equal to that of the crime itself and revolutionised the criminal justice system with his ideals on how to make the most effective punishment, without maximum damage of the individual. He believed that “Punishment is only justified to the extent that the offender has infringed the rights of others or