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Classical theory
The classical theory was invented in 1764 by an Italian man called Cesare Beccara. He believed we were all born equal and that it shouldn’t matter what class where in or how much we earn, we should all get equally punished when we commit a crime. He found out that people of a higher class who earned more money got an easier punishment than people of a lower class, even if the same crime was committed. -
Classical theory
This means for example if you stole 1million from the bank and the punishment was to pay 200pounds back it would be worth it as you would still have a lot of money left. He believed because of this people would be more likely to commit a crime because it was more beneficial than a punishment. This theory doesn’t exactly explain why crime occurs but it explains how some crimes may occur. -
Classical theory
This was because he found out that richer people were paying off their punishments so they didn’t have as harsh punishments. But because poorer people couldn’t afford to pay off their punishment, they would have a harsher punishment and Beccara didn’t think this was fair so from this he began his classical theory. His classical theory was relating mainly to crime as he believed that sometimes the benefit of the crime was worth the punishment. -
Classical theory
. This is to prevent people committing crimes as much as if they realised how harsh the punishment is they will not want to do the crime. For example the death penalty was introduced in 1964 and prevented many people from doing crimes as they were afraid to be killed for what they had done. From Beccara’s theory he has allowed crime control methods to still be present to this day. -
Classical theory
The death penalty is one for example which is still used in certain countries, also making sure punishments occur straight away still happens now as it prevents people from escaping while they are waiting for their punishments to start. Sometimes the crime control method where all people have the same punishment no matter what their status is doesn’t always work, as for example Oscar Pitorus got a much smaller punishment than a person usually would because of his high status. -
Classical theory
The classical theory influenced the government to create these new rules relating to punishments. The government made a policy that meant they must adhere to the prison sentences that were set and harsher punishments must be made. The government try to influence the public’s perception on crime and by making the crime figures much lower it means that the public will think the area is a safer place. -
Classical theory
The classical theory influenced the government to create these new rules relating to punishments. The government made a policy that meant they must adhere to the prison sentences that were set and harsher punishments must be made. The government try to influence the public’s perception on crime and by making the crime figures much lower it means that the public will think the area is a safer place. -
Classical theory
. They do this by putting certain punishments in place so that it can prevent crime from occurring. By preventing crime it can mean that less crime will occur and decrease the crime rate figures. This will make the public feel safer. Another thing is that by allowing the death penalty it prevents people trying to get revenge for the victims. Due to this it will help the public believe the right justice has been made and prevent them getting involved with the crime. -
Classical theory
For example attacking a murder for killing their family member. The advantages on the criminal justice system is that it can prevent people from committing crimes as if they are afraid of the punishment they will be afraid to commit the crime. It also means that people will be kept safe because all criminals will be put away for a harsher punishment which they deserve. -
Classical theory
Also by using harsher punishments it can make people suffer more and realise what they did wrong and can make them change into a better person. This is good on the community and will also give good results through the punishments. The disadvantages of this are that there will be a higher cost as keeping prisoners in prison for longer will be expensive. -
Classical theory
Another problem is even after spending all this money on the new crime control methods it not might work and won’t prevent people from committing crimes. This is more of a beneficial impact on the criminal justice system because there are clear advantages from this method. -
Classical theory
For example it depends on the punishment of the crime and the effects of the crime. From this theory a range of different crime methods came into place. One of these methods was ensuring all crime was given a certain punishment and it was kept to no matter what the class of the person was. This means that no matter how rich or poor a person was they would be given the same punishment. Another method that was brought in was harsher punishments for bad crimes. -
Volutarism
This theory is all about free will and they believed human intelligence made people know exactly what they were doing. They said that humans have the intelligence to be able to know right from wrong. But it is hard for them to decide when crime was a deterrent. The voluntarism theory related to crime as it was saying humans have their own intelligence to make decisions on whether to commit a crime or not. -
Volutarism
From this crime control methods were put into place to prevent people committing crimes through the way the voluntarism theory states. One of the first methods was to give more education on the rights and wrongs of the law. They would educate people off all ages about the law and the consequences of committing any crimes. By widening peoples knowledge on the law it can teach them how they should behave. -
Volutarism
They also brought out CCTV, this would be used to record everything that happened in places such as shops, neighbourhood areas and banks. The CCTV is placed where crimes will mainly occur so any action can be caught. By doing this crime control method it meant that people where
more aware they were being watched and released if they committed a crime which is wrong they would be acknowledged. -
Volutarism
This would prevent them from committing crimes as much as they feel in pressure while being watched that they are doing wrong. Another one of the crime control methods from this was harsher punishments these were put in place so that people would be so scared of the punishment for the crime it would prevent them from committing it. From this the government made these control methods into action and ensured they occurred. -
Voultarism
By educating people further it can ensure that fewer crimes will be committed as people know right from wrong. By educating the public it also means the public will feel much safer as they know human intelligence will be taught rightly and this will cause less people doing crimes. CCTV was founded by the government as well to help prevent crime. People are less likely to commit a crime if they know they are being watched so this will help them realise what is right from wrong. -
Volutarism
An advantage of this theory is that the methods put in place are cheaper than just sending everyone into prison. It doesn’t cost a lot of money to educate people and it can ensure they learn the ways without having to put a lot of people in prison. Another good thing is that it reassures the public and makes them feel safer because people are taught correctly. -
Volutarism
The disadvantage is that it can take a lot of time to ensure that everyone is educated and even after that they might not have listened properly. This will then mean that they have not been educated properly and it will be a waste of time and money. The disadvantages of CCTV is that people have no consent towards it and their privacy is breached. -
Volutarism
This effects the criminal justice system in a positive was as it is a suitable way to decrease crime rates and improve the public’s view on the safety of their surroundings. -
Volutarism
By doing CCTV it ensures that people can be watched at all times and if any crime occurs it means the person can be found and gave the punishment they deserve. By making a harsher punishment rule such as the death penalty it makes people frightened of the punishment so prevents them from committing the crime. Because the government put this into place it makes the public feel safer as they know people won’t be as likely to do a crime and also people who dommit a crime will be punished correctly. -
Volutarism
Also by using CCTV it means that the right person can be identified and arrested so they don’t commit any more crimes this also reassures the public and means that justice is served to the right people. It will make the public understand that less people will be likely to commit crimes because the punishments are very harsh and the crime isn’t worth it for the punishment. -
Positivism
This was invented in the early 19th century and was about how mental illnesses can effect a person towards criminal behaviour. He believed that criminal behaviour was linked to people who had mental illnesses. His theory linked in with Lombroso’s and the XXY syndrome theory. He believed we were all born good until the outside environment caused behaviour in a criminal way. He based his theory on looking at mental illnesses and finding a way to ‘cure them’. -
Positivism
He came up with a range of different methods to control crime from mental illnesses. His first method was creating a medication which he believed cured mentally ill people. His medicine was given to people who suffer from things such as depression. He also thought of the idea to create mental hospitals so that people with medical conditions can be taken in treated as an individual and cared for. -
Positivism
The government decided from these crime control methods that they would put these into place. By giving medication out to mentally ill people it made the public feel safer and more on ease to know there was a way to cure these people. This would have a good effect on the public as it would mean people such as their family members could be helped due to this medication. -
Positivism
They also used mental hospitals to ensure that people with mental illnesses were kept in a place they could be cared for and not left out in the streets. By doing this it makes the public feel safer around the community they live in. The strengths of the positivism theory is that by giving medication it could ‘cure’ people and ensure they are getting the right treatment they need. -
Positivism
Also it is a more suitable way to provide for people with mental illnesses than putting them into prison as they need extra attention. It will make the community much happier with the results and feel more safer. The disadvantages are that it could cost a lot of money and it is hard to tell whether the medication will actually be a cure for mental illnesses. The criminal justice system wouldn’t exactly benefit from this as they could save money by putting everyone into prison. -
Determinism
This theory leads on from positivism theory but was invented in the 20th centuries. It is saying that we have no control over our actions and it is wrong to be punished because of that. The theory is saying that sometimes we have to commit a crime. For example stealing from a shop to provide food or money for their children. The theory states ‘it is wrong to punish someone if they can’t control themselves of if they have no choice’. -
Determinism
The theory said they should be helping them instead of punishing them. From this a crime control method was created called benefits. This means that if people are struggling or can’t afford to get money it will be given to them by the government. By doing this It can prevent them from committing crimes and ensure they don’t have to go through the struggle. Another method was rehabilitation which was a place invented for people with issues such as drug abuse to go and get help. -
Determinsim
From this it prevented people committing crimes so they could afford things such as drugs which they needed. This influenced the government policy because from making a benefit scheme it ensured that people such as tramps stayed of the streets. Also it meant a more safer and organised community with no people begging or stealing for money. This had a good impact on the community. -
Determinsim
. Another disadvantage is that sometimes the benefit money wasn’t used in the way it was intended to be. It influenced drug addicts to buy more drugs and this could cause criminal behaviour when they can’t get what they want. The final disadvantage is that people who earn their money fairly where paying for benefits for people who didn’t work to earn their money. This had a good effect on the criminal justice system as it kept people off the streets and prevented them from committing crimes. -
Determinsim
The strengths of this method is that it prevented people having to commit crimes to get money because money was given to them at times when they were struggling. Another advantage is that a rehabilitation centre enabled people of all different types to get the opportunity to change and get money without having to struggle. This facility was designed to help. The disadvantages are that the facility can cost a lot of money and this means less money can be spent on important things such as hospital -
Ineractionism
This theory was first invented by Howard Becker in 1928. This whole theory is about law breakers and law abiding people being similar. He is saying that most people in the population commit a criminal act but they are not always caught and punished for it. He also believed that being part of a certain group or label can grant a high status to someone and cause them to commit a criminal act. -
Interactionsim
. This could be due to the media influencing peoples thought on what a criminal looks like. From this theory a crime control method called zero tolerance was put into place. This was basically a strong tolerance towards crime to ensure no crime happened at all and if it did harsh punishments where given. This crime control method was completely influenced by the government and it was their choice to make this happen. -
Interactionsim
The advantages on the criminal justice system was that it reassured the people and make them gain confidence while going into areas where a lot of crime occurs. Another advantage is that people where frightened of what the consequences were so they didn’t commit crime as much and there was a decrease in crime rates. The disadvantages are that the crime control method hasn’t been around for a long enough time to see if any long term effects will occur. -
Interactionsim
Also by promoting this crime control method it can cost a lot of money. -
Biological theory
.He said that male had to have five of these features and females had to have three to be born criminal. From this crime control methods were put into place to prevent crimes from occurring. One of these methods were CCTV, this is used to record around areas where a crime could occur. But it also meant that is someone had these characteristics they could be identified and watched closer on to ensure they don’t commit a crime as they are more likely to. -
Biological theory
This impacted the government as it helped them to keep a close eye on people who are most likely to be involved in a crime and arrest them. The advantages of this are that people can be watched at all times and if anyone commits a crime they can be identified and punished. Also it can be used to help the community feel much safer and understand who can be potential criminals. A disadvantage is that people can’t consent to being involved in CCTV footage and it can be taking their privacy away. -
Biological theories
There is a range of different biological theories that connect together to make an overall judgement on the theory. Cesare Lombrosso invented a biological theory that went against the classical theory. He believed that criminality was inherited and came up with a way to investigate whether we are born criminal or not. He believed that if people looked a certain way they could be a born criminal. He looked at features such as large monkey ears, large lips and a disfigured shaped face. -
Realism
This theory was invented in the 19th century and was a realistic view of crime. The whole theory is explaining that your discipline levels and criminal behaviour depends of your upbringing from your family. There are two different types of realism, left realism and right realism. Left realism is about your upbringing depending on the class of your family. Whether they were from a rich class or a poor class. -
Realism
Usually people from a poorer class have a harder upbringing and this can make them have criminal behaviour. This is because it is harder for them because they don’t have money and may have to go out to steal for money. -
Realism
Right realism is connected to the community and how the crimes in the community are controlled. This is saying if a person hangs around in the community with people who commit crimes they are more likely to join in with the criminal behaviour. From this theory crime control methods were put into place. One of the methods for left realism is the benefit s system, this ensures that people of a low class can still afford basic needs for a human. -
Realism
A control method for right realism is to be harsher on the people in the community and ensure harsher punishments are given out. For example ASBOS came into place and this was a warning for teenagers of criminal behaviour to try and prevent them committing more crimes. The government put these crime control methods into place to ensure the community that it was a safer area and crime was being prevented. -
Realism
The disadvantages was that soon after the ASBO existed it was known as a ‘cool’ thing to have so people where committing more crimes so they could get an ASBO. Also the benefit money was used wrongly and people where still committing crimes anyway as they didn’t learn from what happened. -
Determinsim
This affected the criminal justice system in a good way because they were getting reports of less crimes but there was an increase in ASBO’s given out so by making the punishment harsher than just an ASBO it could prevent this. -
Realism
This influenced the government to ensure all people in the community how by giving harsher punishments to people of all ages including teenagers it can prevent crime from occurring. The strengths of these crime control methods are that it can make a community a much safer place to know that all people acting in a criminal behaviour are punished and learn from it. Also it can prevent people from having to preform criminal behaviour because they are getting money using the benefit system. -
Why did it replace positivism?
In 1985 Wilston and Hernstein both argued against positivism to say that the theory was based on trying to find excuses blaming criminal behaviour on rather than analysing an individual. From this they decided to replace positivism with right realism and make this into a theory. Right realism is a more realistic view on crime and explains what causes crime and deviance so it replaced positivism. Positivism had no clear evidence to prove it was actually causing criminal behaviour. -
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This therefore means that right realism replaced it because it was a more sustainable theory and had more evidence to back it up.
