1 5 25 Crime as rational behavior classical and rational choice theories 1 Criminological schools of thought a Three major schools of thought i Classical school 1 Neo classical school ii Positivist school iii Chicago school b Modern paradigms of criminology i Control ii Sub culture iii Strain iv Labeling v Critical vi Postmodern vii Feminist 2 Early explanations of crime spiritual the middle ages the enlightenment a Spiritual i Early theories of crime are grounded in spiritual explanations 1 Many events were believed to be influenced from otherworldly powers a Natural disasters such as starvation floods and plagues 2 Individuals responded by performing sacred rites and rituals to appease the spiritual powers ii Major problem with spiritualistic explanations 1 Cannot be tested scientifically a Because the cause of crime is otherworldly 2 Cannot be verified empirically iii Thus modern theories of crime rely on explanations that are based on the physical world 1 Natural explanations b The middle ages i Explanations of crime deviance centered on religious ideas of good evil 1 2 Individuals who committed crimes were accused of having been provoked by the devil and not being God fearing Efforts to control prevent crime focused on supernatural interventions to remove evil forces in the individual Exorcism Surgical penetration of the skull Sacred rituals a b c d Harsh severe punishments directed at the evil forces ii In Europe crime was largely a private affair 1 Victim or victims family obtained revenge a Blood feuds 2 Trial by ordeal a Accused subject to difficult painful tests b The innocent protected by God would emerge unharmed 2 i Guilty would die a painful death 3 Compurgation innocent a Accused gather 12 reputable people who would swear he she was i Evolved into testimony under oath and trial by jury c The enlightenment Age of Reason i Philosophical movement challenging existing social institutions ii Focus on intellectual reasoning and scientific inquiry iii Significantly impacted moral and social reform 1 2 3 Encouraged the use of logic reason fairness and justice The government and church were no longer the ultimate source of knowledge and understanding Fate was in the hands of each individual personal choices defined human destiny 3 Principles of Classical Theory Beccaria Cesare Beccaria 1738 1794 a i Saw crime as immoral behavior driven by personal human choices not sin or demons ii Free will the capability of making rational choices and calculated decisions found in all individuals 1 2 they weigh the costs and benefits of course of action including crime crime occurs because people believe that the expected benefits of crime outweigh the potential consequences or crime is easier than abiding the law iii Therefore to reduce crime the punishment for crime must outweigh the potential gain reward from it iv Rational behavior is predictable and can be controlled by punishment 1 Beccaria argued against torture and capital punishment does not deter crime 2 3 Punishment serves as crime prevention For punishment to effectively deter crime it must be Swift a b Certain c d Proportionate to the crime These ideas form the basis of the deterrence doctrine the use of punishment as a threat to deter individuals from committing crime 4 Swiftness punishment must be associated with a behavior crime immediately following the behavior itself 5 Certainty the actor must believe the punishment will actually happen if the behavior takes place 6 Proportionate consequences of the behavior must be related to the weight or seriousness of the behavior v Also advocated for a fair justice system 1 2 3 4 Legislators should define crimes and define punishments for each crime Protection of the rights for the accused Presumed innocent until proven guilty in court Judges should determine guilt and follow the law in determining punishments vi These ideas paved the way for the deterrence doctrine 3 4 Principle of classical theory Bentham Jeremy Bentham 1784 1832 a i People calculate rewards and risks when deciding how to act ii Hedonism human nature is governed by the desire to maximize pleasure and minimize pain iii Everyone is rational and will weigh the pain caused by punishment against the benefit pleasure of a criminal act iv Agrees with Beccaria that the goal of punishment should be deterrence punishment should be swift certain and proportionate v Human beings are in constant dialogue with themselves weighing the possible consequences of their actions before following through with their behavior vi Values associated with a sensation is governed by Intensity the degree to which the act is pleasant painful 1 2 Duration how long the sensation lasts 3 Certainty the probability that the act will happen 4 Immediacy the closeness between act ad associated pleasure pain 5 Evaluating classical theory Shaped the course of criminological theory for hundreds of years a b Criticisms of classical theory i Individuals do not always weigh the costs benefits of their actions ii People do not always agree on what constitutes pleasure and pain iii It fails to take account of the wide variety of variables affecting an individual s decision to engage in crime 1 2 Such as differences in biological and psychological factors These criticisms inspired the rise of positivist theories 5 29 Crime as Rational Behavior 1 Paradigms of classical theory a Rational choice deterrence theory b c Situational choice theory Routine activities theory 2 Recap of classical criminology Individuals make rational choices by calculating the costs benefits of their actions a b Rational behavior is predictable and can be controlled by punishment c These ideas paved the way to rational choice and deterrence theories 3 Deterrence theory a The rebirth of the classical school of thought in the 1970s was a response to the apparent failure of rehabilitation i National surveys failed to indicate what methods worked regarding rehabilitation of offenders ii Made more sense to frighten criminals with severe punishments than to waste public funds trying to improve social conditions linked to crime b c The modern notion of deterrence is consistent with Beccaria and Bentham Recent extensions to deterrence theory 4 i Informal deterrence negative reactions from others when they find out about the arrest conviction of the offender 1 E g loss of jobs or friendships divorce social stigma ii General deterrence others are deterred from committing crime when they see an
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