Classical Criminology Theory Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Classical Criminology Theory - Research Paper Example They include the processes of making, reacting and the breaking of laws to prevent criminal activities. Throughout the background of the criminology theory, there have been different forms of punishments, policies, customs and ideas that have been changed to form the study of the criminology. These classical theories defining the reasons behind the crimes that are committed have been devised by the writers of that time. One of the main founders of the classical school of criminology was Cesare Beccaria, who developed his theories in order to develop the criminal justice system (Hagan, 2011). Beccaria’s theories are developed on the basis of three main ideas: all individuals have a free will to do anything they want and make choices; all individuals look out for their own satisfaction; it is the interests of individuals that make their actions predictable. The first idea of Beccaria is similar to the ideas expressed by other classical theorists – that it is free will that allows a person to do what he or she wants and to make free choices. The second idea expresses the individual’s rational manner, which means that an individual will do anything for his or her personal satisfaction; this means that a person’s desire to get the best can make this person a wrongdoer. In this way, all members of the society will be looking for their satisfaction and thus interests will clash ‎ (Samaha, 2005). ‎ The third idea expresses manipulability – a universal interest of humans is known, and it makes the human actions predictable and controllable. He further believed that the problem with the criminal justice system was to choose the right punishments for the right criminals, and not only the criminal justice system but also the government should play a role in using their rights to have the laws of punishments (Hagan, 2011).  Ã‚