Classical Criminology

Development of Criminology: Classical Criminology

Introduction to Classical Criminology

The issues of crime and punishment have aroused interest and discussion since ancient times. Scriptures dating from the 10th century bc prohibit certain acts and provide consequences for those who disobey these rules. In the 5th century bc Greek historian Thucydides wrote about the usefulness of the death penalty. With the development of Christianity in the 1st century ad, questions of crime and punishment were almost always discussed in religious terms.

Christian thought tended to emphasize personal responsibility for wrongdoing; requiring penitence (remorse) by the criminal in exchange for salvation, or forgiveness, by God. Although punishment practices during the Middle Ages (5th century to 15th century) were often brutal, the church generally had a moderating influence. Christian philosophers expressed in their writings that the legitimate purpose of punishment was to reform and salvage the erring sinner.

It was not until the 18th century, however, that penal policy (and thereby the understanding of crime) was subject to systematic consideration. Authors began to condemn the frequent use of torture and the widespread imposition of capital punishment (the death penalty) and other brutal and degrading sanctions (penalties). In 1764 Italian jurist Cesare Bonesana, Marchese di Beccaria published Tratto dei delitti e delle pene (1764; translated as Essays on Crimes and Punishments, 1880). In this work, Beccaria criticized the use of torture and secret judicial proceedings and advocated abolition of the death penalty. He also argued that the certainty-rather than the severity-of punishment was a more effective deterrent to crime. Finally, Beccaria argued that penalties imposed for criminal offenses should be in proportion to the seriousness of the offense.

Around this same time, British philosopher Jeremy Bentham proposed the systematic codification (arrangement) of criminal law. Bentham urged lawmakers to base crimes and punishments on the principle of utility-that is, the greatest good for the greatest number. He attacked the excessive severity of punishments prescribed in the criminal law. Many of Bentham’s ideas were introduced as legislation into the British Parliament, and his efforts laid the groundwork for substantial legal reform in the next generation. In part as a result of Bentham’s proposals, the number of crimes in England punishable by the death penalty was reduced from about 250 at the beginning of the 19th century to 4 by 1861.

The work of these 18th-century legal reformers did not produce an organized body of knowledge about why and when crime occurs. Rather, it served as the intellectual foundation for the field of criminology. Beccaria, Bentham, and those who followed them made crime and criminals a legitimate subject for scientific inquiry.” (1)

Resources

Notes and References

• Information about Classical Criminology in the Encarta Online Encyclopedia

Guide to Classical Criminology

In this Section

Criminology, Criminology Development (including Classical Criminology, Modern Criminology, Criminology Italian School and Independent Criminology), Criminology Goals, Biological Theories of Crime (including Crime Genetic Factors and Neurological Abnormalities), Psychological Theories of Crime (including Moral Development Theories, Social Learning Theories and Personality Theories), Environmental and Social Theories of Crime (including Social Causes, Social-Structural Theories, Subcultural Theories and Economic Causes of Crime) and

Criminal Opportunity.