CRIMINOLOGY 1

INTRODUCTION TO
CRIMINOLOGY
CHAPTER 2
CRIMINOLOGY
SCHOOLS OF
THOUGHT
 SCHOOL OF THOUGHT

• any group of like-minded, receptive people at a

particular time and place

• refers to a group of beliefs or ideas that support a

specific theory

• a particular way of thinking

 THEORY
-set of statements devised to explain behavior, events or
phenomenon, especially one that has been repeatedly tested and
widely accepted

-any system of ideas arranged in rational order that produce

general principles which increase our understanding and
explanations

The most important task of theory is explanation which is also

called prediction. An explanation is a sensible way of relating the
facts about some particular phenomenon to the intellectual
atmosphere of a people at a particular time or place.
 St. Thomas Aquinas

• argued that there is a God-

given “natural law” that is
revealed by observing-
through the eyes of faith-
the natural tendency of
people to do good rather
than evil.
 Demonological theory

• under this theory, crimes are believed

to be caused by the evil or other
supernatural explanations

• individuals were thought to be

possessed by good or evil spirit, which
caused good or evil behavior
CRIMINOLOGY SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT

A. CLASSICAL SCHOOL
B. NEO-CLASSICAL SCHOOL
C. POSITIVIST SCHOOL
D. CHICAGO SCHOOL
 CRIMINOLOGY SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT
A. CLASSICAL SCHOOL
Øargued that offenders were
free-willed individuals who
made rational choices to break
the law
Øthe focus is the crime not the
criminal
Øthe purpose of punishment is
retribution
 Proponents of Classical School

1. Cesare Beccaria
-he was an Italian philosopher and
politician best known for his
treatise, On Crimes and
Punishment. It contains almost all
modern penal reforms but its
greatest contribution was the
foundation it laid for subsequent
changes in criminal legislation.
 Proponents of Classical School
2. JEREMY BENTHAM
• he was born in London, England on February 15, 1748
• the man who founded the theory of Utilitarianism
• he conceived the PANOPTICON PRISON

Utilitarianism
Ø a philosophy which argues that what is right is the one
that would cause the greatest good for the greatest
number of people.
Ø others refer to it as the greatest happiness principle, or
the principle of utility
 Felicific calculus/ Pleasure or Pain Principle
• This theory proposes that
individuals calculate the
consequences of his actions by
weighing the gain or “pleasure” and
the suffering or “pain” he would
derive from doing the action. If the
pleasure outweighs the pain, then
he would probably proceed to do the
act. But if the possibility of pain is
greater than the pleasure, he would
choose not to do it.
 Summary Points of Classical School by Bentham
1.People have free will to choose how to act and what to do

2.Deterrence is based upon the utilitarian notion because a

human being is any of the following:

Hedonist
Øman seeks pleasure and avoids pain
Rational Calculator
Øman is weighing up the costs and benefits of his actions
 Summary Points of Classical School by Bentham

3.The more swift and certain the punishment, the more

effective it is in deterring criminal behavior

4.Punishment can deter people from committing crime

because of:
The cost (penalties) outweighs benefits
The severity of punishment should be proportionate to
the crime
 Components of Deterrence

vCelerity
- refers to speed with which a punishment is applied
vCertainty
-refers to concept of making a punishment sure to
happen
vSeverity
-refers to the amount of pain to be inflicted
 Forms of Deterrence
Specific Deterrence
-is applied to the individual who committed an offense. The
idea is to apply just enough pain to offset the amount of
pleasure gained from the offense
-teaching through punishment

General Deterrence
- applies to other potential offenders by showing to them that
a punished individual would not gain from his or her offense
-teaching by example
 Arguments against Classical theory
• Unfair -it treats all men as if they were robot without regard to
the individual differences and the surrounding circumstances
when the crime is committed.

• Unjust -having the same punishment for first time offenders and
recidivist

• The nature and definition of punishment is not

individualized.

• It considers only the injury caused not the mental condition

of the offender.
 MODERN CLASSICAL THEORIES

1. RATIONAL CHOICE THEORY

-claimed that criminals are rational
people who make calculated choices
regarding what they are going to do
before they act. Crime, in other words,
is a well-thought out decision
 MODERN CLASSICAL THEORIES

2. ROUTINE ACTIVITY THEORY

Øby Marcus Felson and Lawrence
Cohen

Øit is focused on the crime target

or anything an offender wants to
take control of
MODERN CLASSICAL THEORIES
 MODERN CLASSICAL THEORIES

3. DRIFT THEORY
Ø by David Matza
Ø delinquent youth were neither
compelled nor committed to
their delinquent actions, but
were simply less receptive to
other more conventional
traditions
 CRIMINOLOGY SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT
B. NEO-CLASSICAL SCHOOL
ØUnder this theory, there are situations or
circumstances that made it impossible to
exercise freewill and these are the reasons
to exempt the accused from conviction.

They argue that freewill can be mitigated by

incompetence, immaturity and mental
disorder.
 It modified the Classical theory in certain details:
• That children and lunatics
should not be regarded as
criminals and should be free
from punishment.

• It must take into account

certain mitigating
circumstances and exempting
circumstances
 CRIMINOLOGY SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT
C. POSITIVIST OR ITALIAN SCHOOL
Øexisted during the mid 1800’s and early 1900’s
Ø maintained that crime is 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
Øpresumes that criminal behavior is caused by internal
and external factors outside of the individual’s control
 CRIMINOLOGY SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT
C. POSITIVIST OR ITALIAN SCHOOL

Øintroduced the scientific method of understanding

criminality

Øthe focus is on systematic observation and

accumulation of evidence and objective fact within a
deductive framework (moving from general to specific)
 Features of Positivist School:

• The demand for facts, for scientific proof (determinism)

• There are body and mind differences between people
• Punishment should fit the individual criminal
• The criminal justice system should be guided by
scientific experts
• Criminals can be treated, rehabilitated, or corrected (if
not, then they are incurable and should be put to
death)
 Positivist Trio/ Holy 3 of Criminology

1.Cesare Lombroso
2.Enrico Ferri
3. Raffaelle Garofalo
 Positivist Trio/ Holy 3 of Criminology
1.Cesare Lombroso
Ømedical doctor and Italian Criminologist
Ødue to his application of modern scientific
methods to trace criminal behavior, he is
recognized as the “Father of Modern
Criminology”
Øsometimes called “Father of Empirical or
Scientific Criminology”
Øhe wrote the essay entitled “Crime: Its
Causes and Remedies”
 CONTRIBUTIONS OF CESARE LOMBROSO
a. He used the concepts drawn form physiognomy, psychiatry,
early eugenics and social Darwinism
b. He used a scientific approach and insisted on empirical
evidence in studying crime.
c. He founded Criminal Anthropology

*Argued that the most serious crimes were committed by

individuals who were “primitive” or “atavistic”-that is, one who
failed to evolve to a fully human and civilized state. Crime therefore
resulted not from what criminals had in common with others in
society, but from their distinctive physical or mental defects.
 CATEGORIES OF CRIMINALS BY LOMBROSO
1. BORN CRIMINAL
Øalso referred as atavistic
Øindividuals who are born with a
genetic predilection toward
criminality
Øthe belief that being criminal is
inherited
Øin possession of at least five
atavistic stigmata
 CATEGORIES OF CRIMINALS BY LOMBROSO
2. INSANE CRIMINAL
Øthose who became criminals because of some brain
defect which affected their ability to understand and
differentiate right from wrong
Øthose who commit crime due to abnormalities or
psychological disorder
Øthey became criminal as a result of an alteration of
the brain with completely upsets their moral nature

Example: idiots, imbecile, demented

 CATEGORIES OF CRIMINALS BY LOMBROSO

3. EPILEPTIC CRIMINAL
Øcommit crime because they are affected by epilepsy

4. OCCASIONAL CRIMINAL
Ø those who commit crime due to insignificant reasons
that push them to do at a given time
 VARIOUS TYPES OF OCCASIONAL CRIMINALS
a. Pseudo Criminals
Ø these individuals are not real
criminals
Øthey do something criminal on
account of acute pressure of
circumstances that leave them
with no choice

Example: Persons who kill in self-

defense
 VARIOUS TYPES OF OCCASIONAL CRIMINALS

b. Criminaloids
Ø means “like a criminal”

Ødo not posses five atavistic stigmata and who are

suffering from any brain defects

Ø they are not born criminals but non-criminals who

have adopted criminal activity due to pressure of
circumstances and less physical stamina or self-control
 VARIOUS TYPES OF OCCASIONAL CRIMINALS

c. Habitual Criminals
Ø they have no organic
criminal tendency, but in the
course of their lives they have
developed some foul habits
that force them into criminality
 VARIOUS TYPES OF OCCASIONAL CRIMINALS

d. Passionate Criminals/
Criminal by Passion

Ø these are individuals who are

easily influenced by great
emotions like anger and love
 Positivist Trio/ Holy 3 of Criminology
2. ENRICO FERRI
Øbest-known Lombroso’s associate

Øhe believed that criminals could not be held morally

responsible for their crimes because they did not choose to
commit crimes but, rather, were driven to commit them by
conditions in their lives.

Øhis research led him to postulate theories calling for crime

prevention methods to be the mainstay of law enforcement,
as opposed to punishment of criminals
 Positivist Trio/ Holy 3 of Criminology
2. ENRICO FERRI

ØArgued that criminal behavior could be explained by

studying the interaction of a range of factors:

qPhysical factors: race, geography, temperature

qIndividual factors: age, sex, psychological variables
qSocial factors: population, religion, culture

Øhe considered crime as the “effect of multiple causes”

 Positivist Trio/ Holy 3 of Criminology
2. ENRICO FERRI

He classified criminals as:

1. Born or Instinctive - hereditary
2. Insane - mental disease
3. Passionate - through passion or emotion
4. Occasional - product of family and social milieu
more than abnormal physio-mental conditions
5. Habitual -acquired habit, mostly a product of s
ocial environment
 Positivist Trio/ Holy 3 of Criminology
2. RAFFAELE GAROFALO
Ø another follower of Lombroso, an Italian nobleman,
magistrate, senator, and professor of law

Øhe rejected the doctrine of free will and supported the position
that the only way to understand crime was to study it by
scientific methods

Øhe traced the roots of criminal behavior not to physical

features but to their psychological equivalents, which he called
“moral anomalies”
 Positivist Trio/ Holy 3 of Criminology
2. RAFFAELE GAROFALO

Ø he defined the concept of “Natural

Crime”- those that offend the basic
moral sentiments of probity (respect
for the property of others) and piety
(revulsion against the infliction of
suffering on others)
 Types of Criminals by Garofalo:
qMurderers
-those who are satisfied from vengeance/revenge
qViolent criminals
-those who commit very serious crimes; lacks pity
qDeficient criminals
-those who commit crime against property
qLascivious criminals
-those who commit crime against chastity
 August Comte
• a French philosopher and sociologist and believed
to be the one who reinvented the French term
sociologie
• the first to use scientific methods in studying
sociology

SOCIOLOGY-study of human social behavior and

human societies
POSITIVISM-using scientific evidence to discern
causes for human behavior
 CRIMINOLOGY SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT
D. CHICAGO SCHOOL
Øarose through the work of
Ernest Burgess and Robert Ezra
Park and other urban
sociologists at the University of
Chicago
Methods of study employed:
1. use of official data
2. use of life history
Robert Ezra Park

• advocated the Human Ecology Theory

Human Ecology -maintains that crime is a
Theory function of social change that
occurs along with the
Human Ecology environmental change
- the study of -also maintains that isolation,
interrelationship of segregation, competition, conflict,
people and their social contract, interaction and
environment social heirarchy of people are the
major influences of criminal
behavior and crimes
 COMPARISON OF CLASSICAL AND POSITIVIST
POINT CLASSICAL SCHOOL POSITIVE SCHOOL

FOCUS crime criminal

VIEW OF HUMAN Hedonistic; free willed rationality, morally Malleable; determined by biological,
NATURE responsible for own behavior psychological, and social environment;
no moral responsibility
VIEW OF JUSTICE Social contract; exists to protect society; due Scientific treatment system to cure
SYSTEM process and concern with civil rights; pathologies and rehabilitate offenders;
restrictions on system no concern with civil rights
FORM OF LAW Statutory law; exact specialization of illegal Social law; illegal acts defined by
acts and sanctions analogy; scientific experts determine
social harm and proper treatment
PURPOSE OF Punishment for deterrence; sentences are Treatment and reform; sentences are
SENTENCING determinate (fixed lenght) indeterminate (variable length until
cured)
CRIMINOLOGICAL Philosophers and social reformers Scientists; treatment experts
EXPERTS
AGE OF EXISTENCE Both School existed during the Age of Englightenment
 IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTORS
IN THE FIELD OF CRIMINOLOGY
ADOLPHE QUETELET
Øhe used data and statistical
analysis to gain insight into
relationship between crime and
sociological factors
Øhe found that age, gender, poverty,
education and alcohol
consumption were important
factors related to crime
 IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTORS
IN THE FIELD OF CRIMINOLOGY
RAWSON W. RAWSON
Øutilized crime statistics to
suggest a link between
population density and crime
rates, with crowded cities
creating an environment
conducive for crime
 IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTORS
IN THE FIELD OF CRIMINOLOGY
HENRY MAYHEW

Øhe used empirical methods and

an ethnographic approach to
address social questions and
poverty
 IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTORS
IN THE FIELD OF CRIMINOLOGY
EMILE DURKHEIM
Øhe viewed crime as an inevitable aspect of
society with uneven distribution of
wealth and other differences among
people. He proposed the following
principles:
• Crime is a natural thing in the society
• The concept of wrong is necessary to give
meaning to right
• Crime help society for changes
 Emile Durkheim
• a French sociologist who published his dissertation, called
The Division of Labor in Society which had been influential in
the study of organization in societies

• he stated that crime is a normal part of society, just like

birth and death and that for as long as humans continue to
exists and live with each other, crimes will continue to occur

• another important contribution is the concept of Anomie

(absence of norms/normlessness)
 IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTORS
IN THE FIELD OF CRIMINOLOGY
WILLEM ADRIAAN BONGER
Øbelieved iin a causal link between
crime and economic and social
conditions
Øasserted taht crime is social in origin
and a normal response to prevailing
conditions
Øcontended that survival requires more
selfless atruism within the community
 IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTORS
IN THE FIELD OF CRIMINOLOGY
EDWIN SUTHERLAND
Øhe stated that criminology is at present
not a sciencce but it is hoping to become
a science
Ø referred as the most important
criminologist of the twentieth century
Ø considered as the “Dean of Modern
Criminology”
 IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTORS
IN THE FIELD OF CRIMINOLOGY
GEORGE WILKER

Ø he firmly believed that

criminology will never
become a science
 IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTORS
IN THE FIELD OF CRIMINOLOGY
ABRAHAMSEN
Ø he explained the causes of crime by this formula:
CB=CT+ Inducing Situation /PMRT

CB=criminal behavior
CT=criminal tendency
PMRT=person’s mental or emotional resistance to temptation
 The criminal formula

C=T+S
R
C -crime/criminal act (the act)
T -criminal tendency (desire/intent)
S -total situation (opportunity)
R -resistance to temptation (control )

The formula shows that a person’s criminal tendency and his resistance
to them may either result in criminal act depending upon, which of them
is stronger. This means that a crime or criminal behavior exist then the
person’s resistance is insufficient to withstands the pressure of his
desire or intent and the opportunity.