week 8 - intro to theory; classical school of criminology

Question 1

theory

Answer 1

• a set of concepts and the proposed relationships (hypothesis!) among these concepts

Question 2

hypothesis

Answer 2

a statement about the direction of the relationship between 2 concepts

Question 3

why is theory useful?

Answer 3

• explains why crimes are committed and who commits them
• theory informs policy

Question 4

characteristics of a “good” theory

Answer 4

1. logical consistency
2. parsimony
3. scope
4. testable
5. empirical support
6. practical utility

Question 5

1. logical consistency

Answer 5

• do the propositions (statements) made within the theory make sense with one another?
• statements should NOT contradict one another

Question 6

2. parsimony

Answer 6

• a theory should contain the minimum number of concepts/statements required to understand the phenomenon
• essential to testability and empirical support

Question 7

3. scope

Answer 7

• how much of a given phenomenon the theory seeks to explain
• larger scope = stronger

Question 8

4. testable

Answer 8

• can you conduct empirical tests to verify the validity (truth) of the theory?
• to test a theory you must empirically examine whether the hypotheses are true

Question 9

5. empirical support

Answer 9

• a theory is only valid if studies empirically verify its concepts and their proposed relationships
• all else being equal, emipirical validity is the most important

Question 10

6. practical utility

Answer 10

• a good theory will contain predictions that can be used to prevent crime and/pr guide interventions

Question 11

theoretical classification

Answer 11

1. classical school
2. positivist school
3. intergrated perspectives

Question 12

classical school

Answer 12

• assumes that individuals have free will and choose to commit crime based on rational; hedonistic decisions

Question 13

positivist school

Answer 13

• assumes that individuals do not freely choose their behaviour
• rather, their behaviour is determined by factors outside of their free will
• biological, psychological, sociological factors

Question 14

integrated perspectives

Answer 14

• combine the best aspects of different explanatory models into a single, better, theoretical framework for understanding crime

Question 15

evolution of criminological theory

Answer 15

why does it matter how theory has developed over time?
1. influence of social context
2. address limitations

Question 16

influence of social context

Answer 16

• the popularity or influence of a particular theory/explanation of crime is often influence by the specific social circumstances at the time
  eg; during times of religious dominance -> demons, evil spirits

Question 17

address limitations

Answer 17

• the development of a new theory is typically premised on the perceived limitations of the prior perspective

Question 18

evolution of criminological theory

Answer 18

pre 18th century: pre-classical
18th century: classical
19th century: early positivist
early 20th century: sociological positivist
20th century: conflict perspectives
late 20th century: integrated perspectives

Question 19

assumptions of human nature

Answer 19

1. humans are born bad
   -> if they are born bad, must be compelled to conform
2. humans are born good
   -> if they are born good, other forces must compel them to act bad
3. humans are born neither good or bad
   -> tabula rasa = blank slate
   -> one must be socialized (taught) to engage in crime

Question 20

pre-classical explanations of crime

Answer 20

• prior to the 18th century
• spiritualism/demonology
• people who committed crime where possessed by evil spirits or demons

Question 21

pre-classical response to crime

Answer 21

• people were often forced to confess under interrogation and torture
• common methods of punishment included torture (the rack, ducking stool, thumbscrews), or by a death penalty (burning at the stake, hanging, decapitation, quartering)
• few safeguards existed for people who were thought to have committed a crime

Question 22

classical school

Answer 22

• emerged during the enlightenment
• rejected spiritualism/demonology
• people have free will, they choose to engage in crime after weighing the costs and benefits of their actions
• key theorist -> Cesare Beccaria

Question 23

Cesare Beccaria

Answer 23

• on crimes and punishment (1764)
• critical of the existing justice system
• influenced our modern CJS (based on the idea that people had free will and were rational
• argued that crime could be deterred through punishment (influentially lessened/discourage)

Question 24

deterrence

Answer 24

• punishment intended to reduce the likelihood of future crime
• 2 types: specific and general

Question 25

specific deterrence

Answer 25

• punishment intended to prevent the individual offender from engaging in future crime

Question 26

general deterrence

Answer 26

• punishment intended to prevent society from engaging in future crime

Question 27

keys to effective deterrence

Answer 27

1. certain
   -> how likely is that I will be caught
2. swift
   -> how quickly will i be punished?
3. severe
   -> how severe will the sentence be?

Question 28

limitations of the classical school

Answer 28

• oversimplified belief that humans have free will and make rational decisions
• (in)effectiveness of deterrence
  -> punishment is usually not certain or swift