The Classical School of Criminology

Cesare Beccaria (1738-1794)

• Essay on Crime and Punishment (1764)
• Punishment to prevent crime
• Punishment should be swift and certain
• Punishment should be commensurate with crime.
• Three types of crime
• The basis for contemporary choice theories of crime

Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832)

• Introduction to Principles of Morals and Legislation (1789)
• Role of pain and pleasure
• Hedonistic calculus/Utilitarianism
• Emphasized role of punishment
• Panoptican House

Recent Extensions/Developments

Deterrence theory (Gibbs)

Specific vs. General deterrence

Rational Choice Theory (Cornish and Clarke)

What are the common criticisms of choice theory?

Evidence

Not much empirical support for specific deterrence

General Deterrence

Severity of punishment doesn't seem to deter crime

Some studies have demonstrated a deterrent effect of certainty of punishment

Findings of recent studies examining role of prisons in explaining 1990s drop in crime.

States with greater increases in incarceration had smaller decreases in crime rate.