Lesson for Week 8 Hedonism (Bentham) - the belief that people choose
Criminal Behavior pleasure and avoid pain.
CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR
I. Primary Schools of Thought in Criminology
1. PRE-CLASSICAL ERA
The Demonological Theory Before the
development of more scientific theories of criminal
behavior, one of the most popular explanations was
Demonology (Hagan, 1990). According to this
explanation individuals were thought to be
possessed by good or evil spirits, which caused
good or evil behavior. The theory maintains that
criminal behavior was believed to be the result of
evil spirits and demons something of natural force
that controls his/her behavior. Centuries ago, Guilt
and Innocence were established by a variety of
procedures that presumably called forth the
supernatural allies of the accused. The accused
were innocent if they could survive an ordeal, or if
miraculous signs appeared. They were guilty if
they died at stake, or if omens were associated with
them (Bartol 1995). Harsh punishments were also
given.
2. CLASSICAL SCHOOL OF
CRIMINOLOGY
This is the school of thought advocated by Cesare
Beccaria whose real name is Cesare Bonesera
Marchese de Beccaria together with Jeremy
Bentham (1823) who proposed "Utilitarian
Hedonism: the theory, which explains that a person
always acts in such a way as to seek pleasure and
avoid pain.
Cesare Beccaria in his "ESSAY on Crimes and
Punishment" presented his key ideas on the
abolition of torture as a legitimate means of
extracting confessions. The Classical theory
maintains that man is essentially a moral creature
with absolute free will to choose between good and
evil therefore tress is placed upon the criminal
himself: that every man is responsible for his act
Freewill (Beccaria) - a philosophy advocating
punishment severe enough for people to choose, to
avoid criminal acts. It includes the belief that a
certain criminal act warrants a certain punishment
without any punishment without any variation.
3. NEO-CLASSICAL SCHOOL OF
CRIMINOLOGY
The neo-classical school of criminology argued
that situations or circumstances that made it
impossible to exercise freewill are reasons to
exempt the accused from conviction. This school of
thought maintains that while the classical doctrine
is correct in general, it should be modified in
certain details that children and lunatics should not
be regarded as criminals and free from
punishment, it must take into account certain
mitigating circumstances.
4. POSITIVIST/ITALIAN SCHOOL (1838-
1909)
It maintained that crime as any other act is a
natural phenomenon and is comparable to disaster
or calamity. That crime as a social and moral
phenomenon which cannot be treated and checked
by the imposition of punishment but rather
rehabilitation or the enforcement of individual
measures. Cesare Lombroso and his two students,
Enrico Fernand Rafaele Gerofalo advocated this
school.
Cesare Lombroso (1836-1909) - The Italian leader
of the positivist school of criminology was
criticized for his methodology and his attention to
the biological characteristics of offenders, but his
emphasis on the need to study offenders
scientifically earned him the "father of modern
criminology. His major contribution is the
development of a scientific approach to the study of
criminal behavior and to reform the criminal law.
He wrote the essay entitled "CRIME Its Causes and
Remedies that contains his kay ideas and the
classifications of criminals.
Classifications of Criminals by Lombroso
1. Born Criminals - there are born criminals
according to Lombrosa, the belief that being
criminal behavior is inherited.
2. Criminal by Passion - are individuals who
are easily influenced by great emotions like
fit of anger.
 3. Insane Criminals - are those who commit
crime due to abnormalities or psychological
disorders. They should be exempted from
criminal liability.
4. Criminoloid - a person who commits crime
due to less physical stamina/set self-control.
5. Occasional Criminal - are those who
commit crime due to insignificant reasons
that pushed them to do at a given occasion.
6. Pseudo-criminals - are those who kill in self
defense
Enrico Ferri (1856-1929) - He was the best-known
Lombroso's associate. His greatest contribution was
his attack on the classical doctrine of free will,
which argued that criminals should be held
morally responsible for their crimes because they
must have made a rational decision to commit the
crime
Raffaele Garofalo (1852-1934) - Another follower of
Lombroso, an Italian noblemen, magistrate,
senator, and professor of law. Like Lombroso and
Ferri he rejected the doctrine of free will and
supported the position that the only way to
understand crime was to study it by scientific
methods. Influenced on Lombroso's theory of
atavistic stigmata (man's interior) a***istic
behavior), ne traced the roots of criminal behavior
not to physical features but to their psychological
equivalents, which he called “moral anomalies”.
II. Types of Explanation to Criminal Behavior
a. Single or Unitary Cause – Crime is
produces only by one factor or variable,
they are either social, biological or mental.
This theory is no longer in use at present.
b. Multiple Factor Theory - Crime is a
combination of several factors some factors
are playing a major reason while the other is
playing the minor role. This is the accepted
theory of crime causation
c. Electric Theory-Crime is one instance
maybe caused by one or more factors, while
in other instances it is cause by another set
of factors.
III. GENERAL APPROACHES IN THE
STUDY OF CRIMES
There are numerous theories that must be
considered in studying the causes of crimes. There
is a need, therefore, to categorize or group these
theories for the purpose of more systematic and
simplified discussion. The 3 general groups of
criminological approaches are subjective, objective
and contemporary approaches
A. SUBJECTIVE APPROACHES
Subjective approaches deal mainly on the biological
explanation of crimes. Subjective explanations are
focused on identifying the forms of abnormalities
that was experienced by criminals before, during
and after committing the crime. They are the
following:
1. Anthropological Approach-focused in
studying the physical characteristics of
offenders in the attempt to discover physical
differences between criminals and non-
criminals: (Earnest Hooton's theory)
2. Medical Approach - the application of
medical examinations on offenders in order
to explain the mental and physical
condition of the individual prior and after
committing a crime (Positivist theory
theories of Fem and Garofalo)
3. Biological Approach-the evaluation of
genetics in explaining criminal behavior,
under this approach heredity is the main
factor that push people to commit crimes
(Positivist theory)
4. Physiological Approach-focused on the
study on the nature of human beings-how
they satisfy their physical needs, this
approach explains that the cause of crime is
the deprivation of the physical body from
the basic needs of life (Maslow's Theory)
5. Psychological Approach - explains that
development of criminal behavior
(deviations of normal behavior resulting to
unpleasant emotions) is caused by
 deprivation from psychological needs of C. CONTEMPORARY APPROACHES
man (Theories of Freud and Maslow)
Criminologists today put emphases on scientific
6. Psychiatric Approach-cause of the criminal
explanation of crime and criminal behavior.
behavior, according to this approach, is
Contemporary approaches are focused on the
mental disease as diagnosed by a trained
psychoanalytical, psychiatric and sociological
authorized person (Positivist theory)
explanations of crime in an integrated theory
7. Psychoanalytical Approach-explanation of
Integrated theory is an explanatory statement that
crime is based on the Freudian Theory-this
combines ideas or concepts from different sources.
theory states that criminal behavior is
caused by repression (suppression) of the
basic drives (Freud's theory)

B. OBJECTIVE APPROACHES

These approaches deal on the study of groups,

social processes and institutions as factors that
influence the human behavior. They are primarily
derived from social sciences

1. Geographic Approach-topography,
natural resources. geographical location,
and climate are factors that lead a
person to commit crime (Adolph
Quetelet's Theory)
2. Ecological Approach-the biotic
grouping of men resulting to migration,
competition, social discrimination
division of labor, and social conflict are
factors that cause crime (Ezra Park's
theory)

3. Economic Approach-financial insecurity

and inadequacy of the necessities to
support life are important factors to
criminality (Robert King Merton's
Theory)
4. Socio-Cultural Approach-causes of
crimes can be traced from the effects of
institutions. economics, education,
politics, and religion to the people
(Albert Cohen's Theory)