Classical School of Criminology

Emily Mullen
CRMJ 353- Theories of Crime
September 27, 2014
Classical School of Criminology There have always been theories as to why people commit criminal acts. In early periods, the perspectives tended to revolve around religion and that crime was a sin. This pattern stayed in place for a very long period of time. After the Age of Enlightenment, the perspective on crime and criminology began to change. What came out of the Age of Enlightenment was the classical school of criminology. This paper will first analyze the origins of the classical school of criminology, as well as, its response to previous perspectives. The paper will then analyze the assumptions made by the classical school in regards to the nature of human beings and their behaviors. In addition, it will describe why crime occurs in the eyes of the classical school of criminology. Lastly, the paper will take a look at the crime-control implications that came out of this perspective and what should be done to reduce crime. Prior to the classical school of criminology, the main focus was on the idea that crime was a sin against god and that it needed to be punished. The state would not only punish the person harshly for the crime, but would also punish the person for the fact that they had committed a sin against god. This was the focus for much of the time leading up to the Age of Enlightenment. The Age of Enlightenment created changes including the idea of the social contract. Through this social contract, it was established that in order to gain the safety provided by the state that the citizens would accept the laws imposed by the state. Crime was no longer seen as a crime against god by was instead seen as a moral offense against society which needed to be punished by the state. People were assumed to have the basic rights of life, liberty, and the protection of their property. For the protection of these rights, citizens gave up control to the state to punish those who committed