Four Theories Of Criminology

Criminology is a branch of sociology that has been studied for many years. Criminologists look at various topics related to crime and are dedicated to studying the causes of crime, along with the social impact of crime (Glick, 2005). In nature, criminologists study at every conceivable aspect of deviant behavior. This includes the impacts of crime on individual victims and their families, society at large, and even criminals themselves. The overall goal of criminology, is to determine the root causes of criminal behavior and to develop effective and humane means of preventing it (Glick, 2005). This has led to several schools of thought within the discipline. The different schools of thought look at the different factors involved in deviant
The first idea is that individuals have free will to make choices and to act on their own accord (Bohm & Vogel, 2011). Theorists believe individuals have free will to make a choice between getting what they want legally or illegally. The next idea is that people will generally seek pleasure and avoid pain. In addition, people will rationally calculate the cost versus the benefit when choosing to commit an act. With this idea theorists believed that individuals were motivated by rational hedonism (Bohm & Vogel, 2011). Another idea is that a society based on social contract is necessary to escape criminal violence and other predatory behavior. The final idea is that punishment can be used to deter crime and the state has the right to punish. Also, penalties should be legislated with crimes and punishment on a scale. With this idea the theorists believed that the fear of punishment can deter a person from committing a criminal act because it is better to prevent crimes than to punish them (Bohm & Vogel,
The field of criminology has been the leader in improvements across our criminal justice system, which includes the response to crime and the treatment of both victims and criminals. It continues to help us better understand the real costs of crime for all involved and for society as a whole. Even though writers and philosophers for many centuries have expressed interest in criminal behavior, criminologists have traditionally marked the beginning of the discipline of criminology with the establishment of the classical school of criminology, which suggests people rationally make their own decision to commit criminal acts (Bohm & Vogel,