The Positivist School Theory In The Criminal Justice System

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Learning, studying, and developing theories on why criminal behavior occurs is important because it helps the criminal justice system understand why people commit crimes and what type of punishment may work and what type of punishment has been proven ineffective. Criminal theories were being developed as far back as the Iron Age and are still being developed and modified today. Spiritualism, classical school theory, and positivist school theory are just a few of the theories that have helped influence our founding fathers and influence the criminal justice system in America and across the world. It is imperative that this work continues so that crime may be deterred.

When criminologists develop theories to explain why people …show more content…

The Positivist School theory emerged in the mid-nineteenth century to the beginning of the twentieth century. The positivist school theory takes away a person’s free will and the responsibility for their actions because the positivist school theory believes that a person’s behavior is the caused by their biological, psychological, or sociological situation. Along with this belief in order to prevent crime poverty, mental illnesses, as well as biological issues need to be addressed. Adrenaline, testosterone, and low blood sugar have been thought to lead to aggression as well as the chemicals used in foods could potentially lead to aggression, violence, and hyper-activity, which could ultimately lead to criminal behavior. The positivist school theory states that the punishment needs to fit the criminal not the crime. This is the complete opposite of the classical school theory. The positivist school theory states that the punishment should help rehabilitate the …show more content…

As time passes and more crimes occur new theories to explain criminal behavior are developed. Explaining why people commit crimes is difficult because it varies and changes as time progresses forward and the various factors evolve on a daily basis, but spiritualism, classical school theory, and positivist school theory are the foundation and are still around today. Each of these theories has impacted the world in a significant way and is still referred to today. There are people in this world who still believe in these theories and who are working to further develop these theories. This is done with the hope that one-day criminals and their behavior will be understood and crime will be

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