CRM 100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Cesare Beccaria

• School: Ryerson University
• Department: Criminology
• Course: CRM 100
• Professor: Anke Allspach

Document Summary

Western criminal justice system today: western criminal justice systems are underwritten by the idea of democracy, electoral representative governments and the three branches of gov. should operate independently from each other. Traditional legal theory and the three branches of the criminal justice. System: legislative (government): makes laws, executive (police and law enforcement): police/law enforcement, judiciary (court): execute"s laws. Criminal justice system is governed by 3 principles: rule of law (english magnacarta) Historical overview: legal principles took a long time to form. Who did it target: women especially unmarried and independent, the poor, the unruly, and dissents. Courts: little to no process, public, local and immediate, torture was common. Early enlightenment theories: rights thinking (locke 1632-1704) right to life, liberty & property, thought that humans are free thinkings & rational actors (rosseau 1712-1778) Classical approaches to crimes: 17th and 18th century, crime is not a sin. !2: crime is not based on evil spirits.