Introduction to Criminology

Criminology - the scientific study of crime and criminal behavior and law enforcement.

3 Main School of Thought

1. Classical school
2. Positivist school
3. Chicago school

Classical school - based on utilitarian philosophy developed in the 18th century. This school of thoughts argues:

1. That people have free will to choose how to act.

2. Deterrence is based upon the notion of the human being as a hedonist who seeks pleasure and avoid pain
and a rational calculator weighing up the cost and benefits of the consequences of each action.
3. Punishment of sufficient severity can deter people from crime as the cost (penalties) outweigh benefits and
that the severity of punishment should be proportionate to the crime.
4. The more swift and certain the punishment, the more effective it is in deterring criminal behavior.

Prominent Philosophers of Classical school

1. Cesare Becarria - author of crimes and punishment.

2. Jeremy Bentham - inventor of the panopticon - type of institutional building designed to allow an observer
to observe inmates of an institution without them being able to tell whether or not they are being watched.

Positivist school - presumes that criminal behavior is caused by internal and external factors outside of the
individuals control.

Positivism can be broken in 3 segments which include:

1. Biological
2. Psychological
3. Social - - one of the largest contributors
to biological positivism and founder of
the Italian school of criminology is Cesare
Lombroso.

Italian School

 Cesare Lombroso - an Italian doctor and sometimes regarded as the father of criminology. Considered also
as the founder of criminal anthropology. He suggested that physiological traits such as the measurement of
the check bones or hairline or a cleft palate, considered to be throwbacks to neanderthal man, were
indicative of "atavistic criminal tendencies". This approach has been superseded by the beliefs of Enrico
 Ferri.
 Enrico Ferri - a student of Lombroso, believe that social as well as biological factors played a role and
held the view that criminals should not be held responsible when factors causing their criminality were
beyond their control.
 Sociological positivism - suggest that societal factors such as poverty, membership of subcultures or low
levels of education can predispose people to crime.
1. Adolphe Quetelet - made use of data and statistical analysis to gain insight into relationship between crime
and sociological factors. He found that age, gender, poverty, education and alcohol consumption were
important factors related to crime.
2. Rawson W. Rawson - utilized crime statistics to suggest a link between population density and crime rates
with crowded cities creating an environment conducive for crime.
3. Joseph Fletcher and John Glyde - also presented papers to the statistical society of London on their
studies of crime and its distribution.
4. Henry Mayhew - used empirical methods and an ethnographic approach to address social questions and
poverty.
5. Emile Durkheim - viewed crime as an inevitable aspect of society with uneven distribution of wealth
and other differences among people.

Chicago school - arose in the early 20th century, through the work of Robert Park, Ernest Burgess and
other urban sociologist at the university of Chicago. Park and Burgess identified five concentric zones that
often exist as cities grow, including the zone in transition which was identified as most volatile and subject
to disorder.

 Edwin Sutherland - suggested that people learn criminal behavior from older, more experienced
criminals that they may associate with. (differential association).
6.
2 Main difference between the classical and positivist schools of criminology
Classical school Positivist school