Classical Theory. Classical: Utilitarian Reform. Which of these fits best? Outline. Q1. With which names is classical criminology most associated?

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1 Pre-Scientific Claims: Demons to Reasons Classical Theory Early Sociology of Crime, & Its Precursors Theological explanations God testing faith, punishing, warning others Possession by demons, spirits, the Devil, etc. Dominant source of knowledge until Middle Ages Justice swift, severe, unquestioned Enlightenment (Age of Reason) 17 th /18 th Cs Descartes think/am; choices & experessions Locke blank slates, shaped by experience Hobbes state of nature, social contract Rousseau good people, state can corrupt Justice: torture, arbitrary; poor at special disadvantage Crime & Criminal Justice w/ Ellis % 23% 15% 0% 15% Which of these fits best? 1. Teach me as much as possible! 2. A bit beyond the text is ok; I want to learn. 3. Whatever. Either way. I don t care. 4. Isn t the text enuff? I don t wanna learn. 5. Please stop talking so I can go home. Classical: Utilitarian Reform Cesare Beccaria People act rationally, via free will Need to control impulses to control crime Need punishments to deter but not excess Torture too much Discretion dangerous inconsistent Must be certain and swift severity less important Jeremy Bentham People weigh pleasure/pain (pros/cons, cost/benefit) English law far more severe than needed Crime & Criminal Justice w/ Ellis 3 6 Outline Early Accounts Classical, Neo-Classical, Post-Classical Science: Rise, Meaning, Purpose, Theory Early Sociology Q1. With which names is classical criminology most associated? A. Beccaria & Bentham B. Becker & Gordon C. Black & Godard D. Marx & Weber E. Montesquieu & Voltaire Crime & Criminal Justice w/ Ellis 4 7 1

2 Classicists: Theory of CJ Laws must* be just, clear, & certain Clearly stated, else generated mischief Penalty must be clear & appropriate Laws must be acted upon, penalties applied Punishment s purpose = deterrence But frequency & harshness excessive Must have proportionate punishment Felicity calculus 8 Q2. Which matter(s) did classical explanations ignore? A. Situations in which crime happens B. Who commits crimes C. Which people commit crimes D. When is crime committed? E. All of the above 11 Classicists: Goal, Guides Interested in reforming CJ Inconsistent, unfair, corrupt No rights for defenders, no appeals Ambiguous, poorly publicized Sentencing/steps unclear Excessive punishments Over 100 death penalty offenses Enlightenment Context Challenged central authority Focus on individuals as Reasoning / rational Purposeful / pleasure-seeking Free to choose behavior Neoclassical (constrained choices) Deterrence Theory ( ) Certainty & severity reduce crime rates more important than swiftness Recidivism rate (72% within 2 years? 60% locally?) General vs. Specific Objective vs. Subjective Research on deterrence But other variables? Reverse causality? Rational Choice Theory ( ) Choice structuring risks, rewards, requisites Crime displacement Routine Activities Theory (127-1) 9 12 Questions Classicists Ignored Demons & Reason ID criminals Not discuss process (of committing crime, or becoming a criminal) or situation or structure in which happens Questions about crime (per text) Why are some individuals more likely than others to commit crime? [who, vs why] Why are some categories or kinds of people more likely than others to commit crime? [which, vs why] Why is crime more common in some locations than in other locations? [under what conditions] Other questions / ways of asking those Under what conditions are some individuals or categories/kinds of people more likely to be accused of or processed as having committed crime? Aside: Models of Purpose Punishment Retribution, retaliation, vengeance Utilitarian vs. Retributivist (Hart s Compromise) Deterrence Punish to discourage (utilitarian) Reform (of criminals, not system) Rehabilitate/Correct Salvation Incapacitate Remove

3 Extensions of the Classics Becker s Economic Model of Crime Human actors do cost-benefit analysis Controls for other forces/influences Gordon s anti-capitalist critique Benefits of crime outweigh the costs, for white-collar, organized, & ghetto crime Post-Classicism Crime from individualistic forces Internal flaws Not free agents who choose behavior Positivism /Scienticity Move away from reform (for a time) Shift away from philosophy, to data Q3. Which is not a close/direct extension of classical crimiology? A. Becker s economic model B. Black s social geometry C. Deterrence theory D. Gordon s anti-capitalist critique E. Rational Choice theory 15 The Rise of Science Positivism Choices are constrained by forces beyond control Can therefore fix crime by affecting those forces Some internal (bio/psych), some external (social) Other Scientific advances esp. Darwin Complaints about positivism Accepts legitimacy of system/state in re crime Not necessarily and not totally damning Deterministic Bah Not absolute. Ceteris parabis. Probablistic. Assumes that criminals are different Only w/r/t given IV if it works, they are 18 Critique of the Neoclassicists Adequacy Irrational behavior Non-material rationality Overemphasize agency (vs. structure) Overemphasize law (vs. other controls) Fits for property, not violent or expressive Empirical support Mixed at best Other factors: family, self-concept, conscience The Rise of Science, cont d What is Science (last lecture) 5 parts: general, simple, valid, testable, original Empiricist (not realism, positivist, or postmodern) 4 kinds of explanations / Limits on free will Choices (rational/econ.) Traits (bio) States (psych) Social

4 Disorganization Ecology Strain Anomie Learning Subculture Control Life Course Integrated Labeling Critical Geometric 20 Theories noted in text Context of the Beginning 19 th Century Europe Social Change Industrial and French Revolutions Farm to Factory, Rural to Urban, etc. Controversy Loss of old order (authority, power, etc.) Land, church, kinships, community Conservative reactions to social chaos 23 Normative vs. Empirical Inquiry Style of Account Objectivity fact-oriented Subjectivity - judgemental Role of Accounter Value Orientation we have biases Value Neutrality don t let them effect results Goal of the Account Applied Science engineering, solve problem(s) Pure Science provide understanding of reality Key Figures: Early Philosophy Adam Smith (Scott, ) Personality rooted in association w/ others Rules learned for approval from others Georg Hegel (German, ) National stages of development August Comte (French, ) Coined sociologie science of society Improve through systematic investigation Herbert Spencer (English, ) Darwin s survival of the fittest Natural selection & specialization Just understand; change inevitable 24 What is a theory? Set of comprehensive statements Typically Explanatory & Predictive Might simply be interpretivist Not testable? Facts don t determine theory choice Different theories do diff. things w/ same facts Though Internet sidebar doesn t illustrate that Social life explains which likely to be employed Last lecture on Theorists, & Later lecture on science Key Figures: Early Scientists Emile Durkheim ( ) Intensely empirical / scientific Alienation through lack of solidarity (anomie) Karl Marx ( ) Intensely critical / normative Alienation through class conflict (oppression) Max Weber ( ) Value-free study of historical societies Verstehen understand subjective meanings All systematic comparative systems 25 4

5 Q2. Who wrote about anomie? A. Comte B. Durkheim C. Hegel D. Marx E. Weber Q1. Which addresses faceto-face interactions? A. Macrosociology B. Mesosociology C. Microsociology D. Monosociology 26 E. Mucousociology 29 Levels of Analysis Micro-sociology People s interactions Daily life Macro-sociology Groups & societies As a whole, not parts within Meso-sociology? Connection between the two Sociology which is not level-specific 27 Team Scores Points Team Points Team Key Figures in Contemp Theory Microsociology George Herbert Mead Charles Cooley Erving Goffman Macrosociology Roger Dahrendof W.E. Du Bois Mesosociology Robert Merton John Turner Pure Sociology Donald Black Ellis Godard w/ ELLIS GODARD 28 5