CC100 Lecture 11: Oct 18 - Week 5
Major Schools of Modern Criminological Thought - Chapter 5
● Classical / Positivist / Neoclassical / Towards and integrated and interdisciplinary school
of thought/ Prevention and environmental criminology / Pioneers of criminology in
canada
Intro: Bentham and the Hedonistic Calculus
● How does the human mind work? How do you make a decision? (Hedonistic Calculus)
● Theorized that we “weigh” the potential outcomes and take action
● Those with less to lose are more likely to break the law
● Start of looking at crime through criminological perspective
The Classical School
● The classical school of criminology is a perspective premised on the belief that potential
criminals, being rational beings capable of free will, will be deterred by the threat of swift,
severe punishment
● Assumes a hedonistic calculus
● Emerged from “the enlightenment”
● Cesare Beccaria’s (and others) Key Ideas
○ Believed in free will
○ Most potential offenders can be deterred with:
■ Certainty of punishment
■ Swiftness of justice
■ Proportionate punishment
○ Beccaria’s doctrine is characterized by four general principles
■ Equality: All offenders must be treated equally, without consideration of
personal character or motive
■ Liberty: “Only the law can decree punishment for crime.”
■ Utilitarianism: The purpose of punishment should be “to instill fear in other
men.” *most important concept in terms of justice - justice should be for
benefit of society*
■ Humanitarianism: Punishment, should not only be fair but humane.
Beccaria opposed torture and cruel punishment, including the death
penalty.
● Utilitarianism: the concept that an law should be of the greatest benefit to the greatest
number of people (Bentham)
● Deterrence theory: refers to the belief that the threat of punishment can prevent people
from committing a crime
The Positivist School
● The positivist school of criminology uses scientific methods to measure behaviour and its
“cures” (rehabilitation), relying on a philosophy of determinism. This ideology denies free
will/choice; we act based on predictable and/or inherited causes. (took Darwin’s idea to
an extreme)
● Denies hedonistic calculus
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Major schools of modern criminological thought - chapter 5. Classical / positivist / neoclassical / towards and integrated and interdisciplinary school of thought/ prevention and environmental criminology / pioneers of criminology in canada. How do you make a decision? (hedonistic calculus) Theorized that we weigh the potential outcomes and take action. Those with less to lose are more likely to break the law. Start of looking at crime through criminological perspective. The classical school of criminology is a perspective premised on the belief that potential criminals, being rational beings capable of free will, will be deterred by the threat of swift, severe punishment. Most potential offenders can be deterred with: Beccaria"s doctrine is characterized by four general principles. Equality: all offenders must be treated equally, without consideration of personal character or motive. Liberty: only the law can decree punishment for crime.
