Chapter 4: The Classical Thinkers

Major Principles of the Classical School

This brief section serves to summarize the central features of the Classical school of criminological thought. Each of the points listed in this discussion can be found elsewhere in this chapter, where they are discussed in more detail. The present cursory overview, however, is intended to provide more than a summation—it is meant to be a guide to the rest of this chapter.

Most Classical theories of crime causation make certain basic assumptions. Among them are

• Human beings are fundamentally rational, and most human behavior is the result of free will coupled with rational choice.
• Pain and pleasure are the two central determinants of human behavior.
• Punishment, a necessary evil, is sometimes required to deter law violators and to serve as an example to others who would also violate the law.
• Root principles of right and wrong are inherent in the nature of things, and cannot be denied.
• Society exists to provide benefits to individuals which they would not receive in isolation.
• When men and women band together for the protection offered by society, they forfeit some of the benefits which accrue from living in isolation.
• Certain key rights of individuals are inherent in the nature of things, and governments which contravene those rights should be disbanded.
• Crime disparages the quality of the bond that exists between individuals and society, and is therefore an immoral form of behavior.

Summary

The Enlightenment proved to be a highly liberating force in the Western world. Enlightenment thinkers established many of the democratic principles that formed the conceptual foundations of the American and French revolutions. Their ideas are still very much with us today, and significantly shape our understanding of human nature and human behavior. The twin conceptual prongs around which this textbook is built—social responsibility and individual rights—both have their roots in Enlightenment thought and in the belief in free will which it engendered. Notions of deterrence as a goal of justice system intervention, and of punishment as a worthy consequence of crime, owe much of their contemporary influence to the Classical school of criminology. As we enter the twenty-first century we carry with us an intellectual heritage far older than we may realize.

Discussion Questions

Note: you may be requested by your instructor to e-mail the answers to these questions to his or her office. If so, be sure to add your name (or other identifying information) to your answers, since your e-mail address may not tell your instructor who you are.

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1. Name the various pre-Classical thinkers identified by this chapter. What ideas did each contribute to Enlightenment philosophy? What form did those ideas take in Classical criminological thought?
2. Define natural law. Do you think that natural law exists? If so, what kinds of behavior would be contravened by natural law? If not, why not?
3. What is meant by the idea of a "social contract"? How does the concept of social contract relate to natural law?
4. What were the central concepts that defined the Classical School of criminological thought? Which of those concepts are still with us today? Where do you see evidence for the survival of those concepts?
5. What are the various philosophies of punishment identified by this chapter? Which philosophy of punishment appeals most to you? Why? Which is the least attractive? Why?
6. Define recidivism. What is a recidivism rate? Why are recidivism rates so high today? What can be done to lower them?

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