Compare and Contrast Biological/Biosocial and Classical Theories of Crime

Biological /Biosocial and Classical Theories of Crime

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Biological /Biosocial and Classical Theories of Crime

Classical theories in criminology came out in the 1700s , all of which revolving around concepts on government , social groups and economic theories of John Locke . What can be noticed in the classical theories of criminology is that not too much of these were focused on individual criminals (Williams and McShane , 2004 , pg . 15

What the Classical Theory Offers

The focus of classical theories was on the legal process , lawmaking and

br the crime in general . Before this , religious concepts and structures resembled the judicial system , aristocratic rulers and the ruling monarchy . What took place before the theories even came out was a society with no written laws . Enforcement was done through the instinct of the ruling class . The ruling class did not use much of published law but more of their own impulsive whims and personal interpretation (Williams and McShane , 2004 , pg . 15

During those days , the role of the law was to defend the power of the state and the church . The law was also designed to maintain these institutions . Whoever was accused at a given time was set up in private trials and secret hearings (Williams and McShane , 2004 , pg . 15

The accused , during those days , had to endure very harsh and intolerable sanctions . The accused was then used as a tool for suppression meant for the people who had anything to say against the Church or against the aristocracy . Because of this situation , human rights activists started to be concerned about this . The judicial system has been wreaking havoc in society in the sense that its depth of abuse is being tolerated when in the first place , it should never have been (Williams and McShane , 2004 , pg . 17

What the Classical Theory , the choice and the individual are given the most attention to . In this case , the decisions of an individual depends on the benefit and cost . The Classical Theory can then be used as a tool in explaining human behavior through ways in which pain and pleasure can be minimized and maximized . The underlying concept behind the Classical Theory is deterrence (Williams and McShane , 2004 , pg . 17

Before this , people believed that they are accountable for serving the government 's needs . The thought of a fresh social contract , where the authority was there to provide service for the governed , gave birth to a new idea that strengthened Lockien ideas where an individual surrenders his freedom but only in such a way that the amount of freedom is enough to protect the rights of other individuals . Indeed , a new concept of contractual relationship is born and with this , the middle class is starting to be seen . Undoubtedly , this has been stressful for the elitist groups and for everyone who held the highest positions in the land (Williams and McShane , 2004 , pg . 17

The purpose of the Classical Theory is then to discourage criminal behavior . It also aimed to protect the...