Before we get to those theories of delinquency causation we have selected, we now turn to a brief discussion of the historical development of criminological theories.
A brief history of criminological theories The classical approach with its view that people are rational and that they choose to violate laws was a prevailing notion until the second half of the 19th century when, as larger cities tended to emerge, crime was viewed as a growing problem. Furthermore, at about the same time, it began to occur to many observers that the harsh punishments of the time seemed to have little effect on criminal offending. Around the same time, the nascent use of the scientific method along with the development of social science began to change how people viewed social problems and how problems might be solved. Two prominent figures led the way: Charles Darwin and Emile Durkheim. Darwin described his theory of evolution through natural selection in his book “The Origin of Species.” Durkheim employed observations to develop a social theory of suicide in his book …show more content…
Lombroso took body measurements of offenders in Italian prisons and concluded that there were some people who were born criminals. These born criminals had distinctive body measurements and skull sizes. The positivist school of thought argued that criminals are not in fact rational, normal human beings who choose to engage in criminal acts in order to maximize their pleasure and minimize their pain. Instead, they said, criminals are different and it is this difference from normal humans that compel them to behavior in criminal ways. Because criminal offenders are different, according to the positivists, there is a need for intervention, reform, treatment, and reconstruction to better control crime, and to help certain individuals avoid crime (Barak, Leighton, and Cotton,
A brief history of criminological theories The classical approach with its view that people are rational and that they choose to violate laws was a prevailing notion until the second half of the 19th century when, as larger cities tended to emerge, crime was viewed as a growing problem. Furthermore, at about the same time, it began to occur to many observers that the harsh punishments of the time seemed to have little effect on criminal offending. Around the same time, the nascent use of the scientific method along with the development of social science began to change how people viewed social problems and how problems might be solved. Two prominent figures led the way: Charles Darwin and Emile Durkheim. Darwin described his theory of evolution through natural selection in his book “The Origin of Species.” Durkheim employed observations to develop a social theory of suicide in his book …show more content…
Lombroso took body measurements of offenders in Italian prisons and concluded that there were some people who were born criminals. These born criminals had distinctive body measurements and skull sizes. The positivist school of thought argued that criminals are not in fact rational, normal human beings who choose to engage in criminal acts in order to maximize their pleasure and minimize their pain. Instead, they said, criminals are different and it is this difference from normal humans that compel them to behavior in criminal ways. Because criminal offenders are different, according to the positivists, there is a need for intervention, reform, treatment, and reconstruction to better control crime, and to help certain individuals avoid crime (Barak, Leighton, and Cotton,