Introduction
While all three theories of crime and punishment – classical, positive, and neo-classical – are among the most popular and relevant in the study of crime, they differ significantly. The concept of crime and punishment for each school has its unique ideas and aspects of understanding. The current essay thoroughly analyzes the three criminology theories, proposing that the neoclassical school provides the most valuable insights into why people commit crimes.
Discussion
The classical school of criminology focuses on the laws and penalties prescribed by the country, implying that all crimes could be prevented by the application of legal measures. According to this approach, people are fundamentally rational and will choose not to commit illegal acts if the punishment outweighs the benefits (Ranaweera, 2020). At first sight, such an approach to crimes might seem reasonable, but that is not always the case. After all, not all prescribed laws are effective or address all possible types of offense, which might result in poor practicality.
The positive school of criminology rejects the idea of punishment as the only means of crime prevention, proposing more humanistic tools such as law review, education, rehabilitation, and support. This aim is achieved by creating an enabling environment for the development of society that helps to reduce crime (Walgrave et al., 2019). Additionally, this approach incorporates the idea of “restorative justice,” focusing on prevention and rehabilitation (Walgrave et al., 2019, p. 4). It has experienced a significant increase in popularity in recent years; however, some people object to the idea of helping criminals who committed illegal actions in the past. Ultimately, contrary to the classical school, the positive school believes that punishment is not the main factor in preventing crime.
Finally, the neoclassical school of criminology incorporates the principles of the classical school and positive approaches, offering a multifaceted strategy to mitigate crime. It generally agrees with the classical theory that crime is a rational and weighted choice, but it emphasizes the unique characteristics of individuals (Chapman et al., 2022). In other words, it presents a more humanistic approach with greater detail regarding why people commit illegal activities instead of using the law to prevent them. Therefore, the neoclassical school thoroughly explores the relationship between crime and punishment, agreeing with many principles of the positive school about prevention and rehabilitation (Chapman et al., 2022). It argues that criminal conduct should be prevented by addressing situations in which it may occur. Thus, the neoclassical school offers many ways to understand the causes of crime and find solutions to avoid it.
Conclusion
Several differences and similarities exist in how the examined criminology schools perceive illegal activity and punishment. However, subjectively, the neoclassical school of criminology most precisely explains the causes of offenses. Namely, it assumes that a crime is a conscious choice, but it also draws a connection between individual factors and the reasoning for the action. Therefore, compared to classical theory, the neoclassical school is more detail-oriented and provides more valuable insights into how people think and why they ultimately commit crimes. Moreover, rather than viewing crime and punishment as two separate issues, the neoclassical school emphasizes the importance of preventing criminal behavior through various tools aimed at creating a favorable environment for offenders. In summary, it incorporates the advantages of both classical and positive schools, resulting in the most thorough explanation of why people commit crimes.
References
Chapman, A., Grylls, P., Ugwudike, P., Gammack, D., & Ayling, J. (2022). A data-driven analysis of the interplay between criminological theory and predictive policing algorithms. In 2022 ACM Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency (pp. 36-45).
Ranaweera, K. (2020). Evolution of the criminological theory: A short overview. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Education and Research, 5(4), 19-22.
Walgrave, L., Ward, T., & Zinsstag, E. (2021). When restorative justice meets the Good Lives Model: Contributing to a criminology of trust. European Journal of Criminology, 18(3), 444-460. Web.