Are Beccaria’s ideas still relevant today?
The classical view of criminology has never disappeared either in America or in some other countries. Rational choice theory takes many of the classical ideas and makes them, perhaps, even more relative to today’s issues. Rational choice theory is no different from the principles espoused by Beccaria: Individuals have free will and using this free will they make rational choice to either commit – or refrain from coimmitting – crimes. Rational choice is governed by attempts to increase pleasure and avoid pain. The government has the right and duty to preserve what is in the best interest of most people in a society. And swift, severe and certain punishment will give the government control over the
The classical view of criminology has never disappeared either in America or in some other countries. Rational choice theory takes many of the classical ideas and makes them, perhaps, even more relative to today’s issues. Rational choice theory is no different from the principles espoused by Beccaria: Individuals have free will and using this free will they make rational choice to either commit – or refrain from coimmitting – crimes. Rational choice is governed by attempts to increase pleasure and avoid pain. The government has the right and duty to preserve what is in the best interest of most people in a society. And swift, severe and certain punishment will give the government control over the