StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Criminological Theory - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
Classical and Neoclassical Crime Theory It is amazing to find out that there are actually two types of Crime Theory that experts adhere to in the 21st century. These are the classical and neoclassical theories that both define the cause of crimes in two highly different manners…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER98.9% of users find it useful
Criminological Theory
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Criminological Theory"

ical and Neo ical Crime Theory It is amazing to find out that there are actually two types of Crime Theory that experts adhere to in the 21st century. These are the classical and neoclassical theories that both define the cause of crimes in two highly different manners. These separate theories are based upon different ideas and platforms, therefore creating two individualized school of thoughts when it comes to the definition of crimes and what causes people to commit them. This paper will look into the meaning of these two crime theories and what makes them both similar and different from each other.

I shall begin this paper with a look at the Classical Crime Theory which is the basis for all the beliefs of all classical crime causations. Classical crime theory was actually a prominent belief during the 18th and 19th centuries. This particular theory depends upon the belief that man has free will and thus has options when he commits a crime. Under this school of thought, a criminal is believed to have a mindset that tells him that his criminal behavior will be more acceptable provided that rewards he will be getting from his criminal act will be far greater than the punishment that he will be getting once he is caught in the act of committing the crime.

Therefore, applying severe and harsh punishments upon criminals will deter them from committing crimes. Although this particular school of thought lost out to the positivist theories during its era, it found a resurgence in its popularity in the 1970's with most people believing that harsher punishments would definitely be an effective crime deterrent. It would seem that with the slew of heinous crimes that have been beating up the American justice system in the 21st century, it would definitely seem like there is a need to return to the classical crime theory in order to not only solve the crimes, but also deter the culprits from executing their vicious plans.

The Neoclassical Crime Theory, which is another name that the Positivist Crime Theory is identified by, concentrates more on the reasons as to why a person commits a crime. It is a school of thought that associates criminal behavior with the behavioral predictions relating to the person who committed the crime. The neoclassical theorists believe that the level and severity of punishment for a culprit should be based upon the level of guilt of the person. This would therefore mean that not all crimes shall be treated equally and therefore, the punishments shall be enforced accordingly.

This of it as the varying degrees of murder that a person can commit and you then have a solid example of the Neoclassical Crime Theory. After all, crimes committed are all done with varying degrees of contributing factors such as age, gender, and social classes. Think in terms of people who live in the ghetto and how they oftentimes move around in groups and emulate the actions of the other groups in their area. Usually those other groups are committing crimes, thus the neoclassical belief that crimes committed by these people are based upon imitation of other influences in their lives.

In our modern world, the resurgence of vicious and ultra violent crimes have people demanding harsher punishments for the crime perpetrators. This is because these people who committed the crimes had the personal choice to not commit the crime. Yet they chose to do so because they believed that the sense of gratification that they can get from committing the crime is well worth the possible punishment that can be meted out by the judicial system. Therefore, it would be quite difficult to deter the commission of crimes under the classical theory of crimes.

But that is not to say that one should not try to deter crimes from happening using the classical school of thought. I believe that the classical school of thought, upon which the United States constitution is based would try to deter the modern day crimes such as the Boston Marathon Bombing by providing even more severe punishments for those caught committing these crimes. However, rather than the death penalty, I believe that since these people used their free will when they opted to commit the crime, then the punishment should be similar.

Rather than sentencing them to death, we should instead make them wish that they were dead already. Thus driving home the idea that committing a crime is not a good idea because there is no crime worth the type of hard labor that they will be forced to undergo. Punishments such as forcibly drafting them into military service in hot spots around the world. Assigning them to tasks in Afghanistan, Iraq, or some other war torn hotbed where the American soldiers, who are exemplary citizens, are being picked off one by one by bombings and other terrorist acts.

If they complete 6 tours of duty without losing a limb or getting killed, then they can go free. On the condition that should they commit another crime, they shall once again be sentenced to hard labor on the war front. That should make any criminal think twice about committing any crime. He may not live long enough to enjoy the fruits of his criminal behavior. Sources N.A. (n.d.). Neoclassical crime theory. theoretical criminology. Retrieved from http://crime-study.blogspot.com/2011/05/neoclassical-crime-theory.

html Van Der Hag, E. (1986). The neoclassical theory of crime control. sagepub.com Retrieved from http://cjp.sagepub.com/content/1/1/91.extract

Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Criminological Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words”, n.d.)
Criminological Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/law/1475993-criminological-theory
(Criminological Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 Words)
Criminological Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 Words. https://studentshare.org/law/1475993-criminological-theory.
“Criminological Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/law/1475993-criminological-theory.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Criminological Theory

Psychology - Criminological Theory

Each theory fits better to certain examples of criminal behavior, and each fails to fully explain why crime exists in our society.... What is most likely is that each theory of crime causation is part of a puzzle to explain criminality: the fact is that there are probably few cases that do not involve some component of each theory.... The biological theory of crime causation states that crime has long been resisted in mainstream research (Sarnoff & Volavka 1980), in large part because such explanations were used as part of scientific racism for so long....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

Analysis of Criminological Theory: Context and Consequences

"Analysis of Criminological Theory: Context and Consequences" paper By discussing some of the theories described in this book, identifies them with practical situations.... His first theory, which is discussed under social bonds and delinquency, is based on the notion that delinquency stems from absent or weak social bonds (Hirschi & Gottfredson, 2005).... The second theory discusses self-control and crime where it is opined that low levels of self-control have a relation with involvement in criminal activity....
8 Pages (2000 words) Essay

Application of Criminological Theory

With this theory, perhaps, Robert's disadvantaged origins game him a social stigma.... If this theory were to be followed, the school must punish Robert so severely so that no other student, privileged or not, will ever consider doing such behavior in the future.... However, this theory is put in doubt.... 2008) But this theory is not applicable since Robert is not really that huge or overweight or athletic....
7 Pages (1750 words) Case Study

Criminological Theory and Policies in Criminal Justice

The author of this paper states that every Criminological Theory contains a set of assumptions about human nature, social structure, and the principles of causation.... Disorganization socially is treated as both perspective and theory.... he four wishes theory propounded by W.... The theory of labeling is based on an argument that the process of tagging, defining, identifying, segregating, describing and emphasizing any individuals out of special treatment becomes a way of stimulating suggesting and evoking the very traits that are described as being....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Criminological Theory and Sanctions

Consequently, reasons for… Classical theory, considered together with routine activities theory, of criminal behavior explains this.... According to classical theory, crime occurs from an offender's Criminology theory and sanctions Different theories exist that explain reasons for criminal behavior and therefore offer insight into possible prevention measures.... Classical theory, considered together with routine activities theory, of criminal behavior explains this....
1 Pages (250 words) Essay

Criminological Theory and Sanctions

The above is best Criminological Theory and Sanctions Answer to question While considering the various criminological theories, it would be appropriate to weigh in the reason why an individual has committed a particular crime when passing any sentencing.... However, she could have included another Criminological Theory to explain the question better.... Criminological Theory: Context and Consequences.... This is so since some individuals may not be controlling themselves, when they are committing a… For instance, when individuals commit the crime of murder, it would be unfair to give the same sentence to both; a person whose reason for crime is explained by psychological theory and a person whose reason for crime is explained by sociological theory....
1 Pages (250 words) Essay

Criminological Theory: Context and Consequences

This paper "Criminological Theory: Context and Consequences" is being carried out to present examples of theories that explain crimes in society.... Criminological Theory: Context and Consequences.... Social disorganization theory, on the other hand, seeks to explicate why some communities are more prone to criminal activities in opposition to others.... Criminology theory In every society, crime is inevitable, occurring due to various circumstances, hence the use various theories to explain this scenario....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

Introduction to Criminological Theory: Labelling Theory

"Introduction to Criminological Theory: Labelling Theory" paper highlights labeling theory and its contribution to understanding crime.... The differences between primary and secondary deviance in Lemert's theory given above form the distinction between original and effective causes of deviance.... nbsp; The theory advances that criminology should not focus on criminals as types of people, but should highlight the numerous social control responses from the law, police, media, and the public that define crime....
5 Pages (1250 words) Coursework
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us