The Theory Of Crime The Classical View - 960 Words

There are two main views that explain who or what may be responsible for crime: The classical view, which views crime as a result of a person’s decision to commit a crime. This is due to the belief that every human has free will and are therefore responsible for their actions. The second view is the positivist view, this view believes that a person’s decisions are not made due to free will, but shaped by society and the environment that they live in. From these two main views branched many different views to explain who or what may be responsible for crime; known as criminal behavioral theories. Influenced by the classical theory is the rational choice theory, all the other theories; biosocial, psychological, social learning, and social structure is influenced by the positivist view. The rational choice theory believes that when the reward â€Å"rationally â€Å"outweighs the punishment than a crime will be committed. There are two different views on this theory. Firstly, the lifestyle theory, which believes that the youth chooses to live against the rules of society. Secondly, the routine activity theory that suggests that crime is committed when an offender has an easy target, with no one or no security to guard it, and there is a motivated offender. The weaknesses of this theory are that not every offender is â€Å"rational† when they decide to commit a crime. They may be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, which would affect their rational thinking. Therefore, they may commit aShow MoreRelatedBiological and Classical School1265 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction The Classical School of criminology emerged during the eighteenth century after the European Enlightenment period. It was during this time that law enforcement and laws were disparate and unjust and punishment was brutal. Members of the Classical School would demand justice that based on equality and human punishment that was appropriate for the offense. According to Williams and McShane 2009, the Classical School was uninterested in studying the criminal per se; it gained its associationRead MoreThe Classical Theory Of Criminal Activity856 Words   |  4 Pageswhom committed a crime should be proportionate to the crime in which they engaged in, no more than what is necessary, but enough in order to deter the offender from participating in another crime. This approach is applied in such ways because it is believed that criminal activity is a rational choice, chosen because they perceive it to be in their best interest. â€Å"Criminals make a rational choice and choose to do crimi nal acts due to maximum pleasure and minimum pain† (Classical School of CriminologyRead MoreThe Classical School Of Thought889 Words   |  4 Pagesfree will. The idea of rational choice led to the development of the Classical school of thought, which sought to deter and prevent crime by making the fear of punishment worse than the gratification attained from crime. 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There are a number of concepts of crime including human nature, the society,Read MoreUnderstanding Criminals Essay978 Words   |  4 PagesIt is hard for anyone to grasp the concept or be able to understand why people commit heinous crimes or engage in criminal activities. We as human beings are all capable of committing or engaging in delinquent behavior. What stands in the way of a person that makes them decided to engage in deviant behavior or to choose not to commit crimes at all? We may never truly know or understand the real reasons behind why certain people make decisions like these everyday. Early philosophers and scientists