Verified Document

Foundational Theories Of Criminology Research Paper

Classical and Positivist School of Thought in Criminology The classical school of criminology as originally articulated by Cesare Beccaria was based upon a philosophy of human rationality: people would choose pleasant over unpleasant sensations. If there was no expected punishment for crimes, people would behave in a lawless fashion. If punishment was expected, people would strive to avoid pain in a utilitarian fashion. Beccaria's theories arose in a response to earlier systems of justice which tended to extract the same harsh penalties for all crimes, regardless of their nature. Beccaria acknowledged that sometimes the interests of people might be commensurate with the laws that were good for larger society; other times they might clash (Cesare Beccaria, 2014, Criminology). The purpose of the laws was to incentivize for rational individuals the pursuit of good acts that preserve social stability. Punishment must serve a practical function and it must also be proportional...

The punishments should only severe enough so that from a rational standpoint the criminal would understand that to behave in a law-abiding fashion would behoove him more than to transgress the law but anything more severe than that was not needed.
Beccaria stated that judges must be objective and that the accused should be judged by a jury of his or her peers. This was not necessarily a given in earlier eras where punishments were often capriciously based upon the will of the sovereign rather than upon the rule of law. Beccaria also noted that laws must be written clearly and unambiguously so people could make rational decisions based upon weighing the pros and cons of different option. Irregular enforcement would also discourage compliance vs. objective and universal application, regardless of the individual's social status. Beccaria strongly believed that torture was not an acceptable means of extracting a confession and was more likely to make…

Sources used in this document:
References

Cesare Beccaria. (2014). Criminology. FSU. Retrieved from:

http://www.criminology.fsu.edu/crimtheory/beccaria.htm

Positive. (2014). Criminology. FSU. Retrieved from:

http://criminology.fsu.edu/crimtheory/week4.htm
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Criminology Theories Biological Theory of Crime the
Words: 848 Length: 3 Document Type: Capstone Project

Criminology Theories Biological Theory of Crime The biological or bio-physiological theory of crime regards human behavior in general and of deviance and criminality in particular as mainly the result of internal states of mind (Schmalleger, 2009). More specifically, the biological perspective, as it was originally detailed in the 19th century by Cesare Lombroso, emphasized the role of heredity in conjunction with the (then) new concept of Darwinian Evolution also in conjunction with

Bandura: Social Cognitive Theory Albert
Words: 2904 Length: 9 Document Type: Research Paper

Self-Regulation Bandura understands that the development of self is influenced by the environment but that the individual also has significant responsibility of determinism that makes the individual responsible for his or her behaviors. According to Boeree self-regulation is absolutely essential to behavior control and provides the backbone of human personality. Boeree describes the three steps that Bandura suggests that contribute to self-regulation; self-observation, or the process of observing our own behavior

Ethical Theory and Moral Practice
Words: 4260 Length: 15 Document Type: Dissertation or Thesis complete

Ethical Theory & Moral Practice Debates about theory and practice are ancient. Each generation considers the dynamics that surround issues about the interdependency of theory and praxis to be uniquely challenging. Complexity is a variable closely linked with knowledge. As science has added layer upon layer of knowledge, decision-making dilemmas have been confounded by new and staggering concomitant factors. In concert, theoretical frameworks for social science disciplines have been adapted to

Social Learning Theory Learning Theory
Words: 3465 Length: 10 Document Type: Thesis

Firstly, there is exposure to a model, which however does not necessarily facilitate learning. This is followed by knowledge of the model's behavior and the results of that behavior and finally the acceptance or rejection of the model by the individual as a guide to his or her actions (Weiner, 1980, p. 230). In this regard one can refer back as well to the work of Tarde who suggested

Sociological Theories That Explain Delinquency
Words: 1773 Length: 6 Document Type: Essay

Theories of DelinquencyIntroductionTwo theoretical frameworks through which juvenile delinquency can be examined are Strain Theory and Social Learning Theory. For instance, Strain Theory suggests that societal pressures and the inability to achieve socially accepted goals through legitimate means lead to delinquency. In contrast, Social Learning Theory posits that delinquent behavior is learned through social interactions and observation of others. This paper explores the similarities and differences of these theories and

Violence Against Women: An Application
Words: 5452 Length: 18 Document Type: Term Paper

There are a variety of theoretical explanations that have been put forward to explain female abuse and violent crimes against women. These include feminist and gender theories and extend to theories of genetic pathology. However, in the criminological literature a distinction is made between two categories of explanation. On the one hand, there are theories that tend to focus on individual pathology and forms of deviance that can lead to these

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now