Classic School Of Criminology Developed After Cesare Bonesana Beccaria

I. Summarize each of the theories posited in this chapter.

In the early days of Juvenile justice a theory of criminology was developed to explain crime and why it was committed. The Classic School of Criminology developed after Cesare Bonesana Beccaria published an essay titled “On Crime and Punishment” and was followed by Jeremy Bentham’s “An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation” (Bartollas, 2014, p.51) The general idea of this school of thought is that human have the ability to make the right choice, if not we will be punished. The theory is that if juveniles know the consequences, they would choose not to commit a crime. If juveniles continue to commit crimes, then they needed to be punished not receive treatment.

This theory is based on Sigmund Freud’s theories of juvenile behavior in relation to a specific psychological profile. This theory focuses on the immaturity of juveniles and their ability or inability to make a decision based on primitive drive, aggression and emotional experiences that can affect a juvenile 's psyche into adulthood. There are many other factors that play into Psychoanalytical Positivism such as familial conflicts, antisocial behaviors and difficulty with authority figures.(Bartollas, 2014, p.54-55) Jack Katz took this one step further stating in his book “Seduction of Crime” that many are seeking an exciting experience when committing crime. Katz states committing a crime to a juvenile establishes their place in society and the experience is sensual.(Bartollas, 2014, p.55) Another classification within the Psychoanalytical Positivism is the psychopath or sociopath personality. A complete clinical designation was written by Hervey Cleckley for a sociopathic personality. This personality is described as the undesired and spurn child, who is unable to make a trusted connection with others. Robert D. Hare took this one step further and created a personality checklist.(Bartollas, 2014, p.55) This list contained significant character traits for a sociopathic personality, such as lack of remorse, impulsivity, lack of responsibility for actions, lack of empathy, ability to manipulate others and

Juveniles in my experience are not rational. Depending on the age of the juvenile, most do not have the cognitive faculties to make a rational decision. Berraria and Betham’s theory that punishment was meant to deter the crime and to make an example, so others would not commit the same crime does not work on all juveniles.(Bartollas, 2014, p.51) Many juveniles feel that the punishment, if caught, does not outweigh the benefit of the act. There is a primitive compulsion to push the limits. However not all juveniles have the same upbringing, role models or leadership in their lives. “Many view themselves as lawbreakers recognizing the opportunity and engage in events that lead up to the presentation of opportunities to break the law. These people are more likely to find themselves in a situation where it makes sense to consider whether the opportunity is worth pursuing”. (Schneider,