Evolution of Criminological Theory
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Historical Origins
as a discipline Criminology has evolved and developed over time
Empiricism
The scientific history of the Age of Enlightenment traces developments in science and technology during the Age of Reason, when Enlightenment ideas and ideals were being disseminated across Europe and North America.
Impact of Empiricism?
The scientific revolution saw the creation of the first scientific societies.
By the eighteenth century, scientific authority began to displace religious authority, and the disciplines of alchemy and astrology lost scientific credibility.
Birth of Criminological Thought
Explanations were now needed to be proven by evidence or facts.
Criminology begins with an idea of why something happens, how it happens and to what effect.
CRITICAL EVALUATION
Social Contract Theorists
According to Hobbes, that is the role of the state: Everyone who agrees to the social contract also agrees to grant the state the right to use force to maintain the contract.
Utopian writers took the position that humans are basically good and that this basic goodness would emerge under the proper social conditions.
Classical School
The classical school grew out of the work of a collection of radical thinkers and philosophers who were primarily of the view that social issues and problems could be adequately addressed through rationality, as opposed to tradition, religion or superstition.
Cesare Beccaria (1764), an Italian writer who sought to change the excessive and cruel punishments of the late 17th and early 18th century by applying the rationalist, social contract ideas to crime and criminal justice.
These two great revolutions, French and American were both guided by naturalistic ideas of the social contract philosophers.
Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) who formulated the principles of utilitarianism was of the opinion that the only logical way to deter crime was to ensure that the amount of pain derived from the forbidden activity was greater than the amount of pleasure.
Positivism
The first half of the 19th century witnessed the beginning of a rapid growth in scientific advancement and the adoption of scientific methodology as a tool of investigation.
Inevitably, this extended to include the very nature of humanity itself.
All of the doubts surrounding earlier explanations were eventually confirmed by the publication of the book by Charles Darwin (1802-82) in 1859, On the Origins of Species.
One of the main beliefs of a positivist approach is that the notion of behaviour is ‘determined’.
Biological positivism was first popularized through the work of Cesare Lombroso (1835-1909), based on research into the physical characteristics of criminals.
In his ‘criminal anthropology’, the main argument was that a general theory of crime could be developed on the basis of measurable physical differences between the criminal and the non-criminal.
COMPARE/CONTRAST
Classical School
Definition of Crime
The decision to commit crime is a rational thought process
Focus of Analysis
The Offence
Positivism
Definition of Crime
Crime and delinquency of biologically, psychologically and socially determined
Focus of Analysis
The Offender
DESCRIPTION
Criminological Theory
An attempt to explain crime and delinquency
Theoretical perspectives on the subject of crime and delinquency
Multi-disciplinary approach to understanding crime and deviance
INTRODUCTION
AIMS
What is the question asking?
OBJECTIVES
How might you answer the question?
CONTEXT
In what context does the question relate to?
CONTENT
What research, studies, philosophies, theories, evidence have you analysed, evaluated, explored, discussed in an attempt to answer the question?
REASONING
What was the reasoning behind these choices?
Main topic
CONCLUSION
Recap
Aim
Objective
Main points of analysis
Main points of evaluation