Chapter Two

Early General Theories on the Causes of

Crime
Prepared By: Ms. Nanies A. Malabana
COS Instructor
Introduction

▪ Understanding criminology requires the use of a broad range of

approaches since it deals with the broad subject matters. This is
because in the study of crime, several approaches are used in
the explanation of crime causation and its prevention.

▪ In order to know about the existence of criminology as a

discipline, one must know the historical development.
 The origin of criminology is usually located in the late eighteenth
century writings in Europe of those who sought to reform criminal
justice and penal system that they perceived as cruel, inhumane and
arbitrary. These old systems applied the law unequally, were subject to
great corruption, and often used torture and death penalty
indiscriminately, as a result, protest against the abuse of judges,
prosecutors, and jailers in the treatments of offenders evolves into the
different theories on the causes of crimes.
Early General Theories on
the Causes of Crimes
1. DEMONOLOGICAL THEORY

Demonology is the study of demons or beliefs about demons,

especially the methods used to summon and control them.
Demons, when regarded as spirits, may belong to either of the
classes of spirits recognized by primitive animism. That is to say, they may
be human or non-human, separable soul, or discarnate spirits which never
inhabited a body.
 Demonology is one of the earliest theories in criminology. In the
ancient times, people believed that evil spirits or demons entered
human body to commit sins. This was the earliest explanation gives
regarding crime and criminal behavior. Terms like demons, witches and
wendigo were used for people who turned criminals. The society
thought that it happened due to evil influence.
Supernatural powers were considered the best explanation
behind crime and sin. It was believed that a person did not commit
crimes of his own free will but under evil influence.
Demonological School of Criminology - the first school of
criminology
 The word demonology is from Greek Saiuwv,
daimon, “divinity, divine power, god”; and -logia.
2. POSITIVIST THEORY

❖Theories which existed before positivist theory of crime

were phrenology and physiognomy theories.

Phrenology – the study of the conformation of the skull

based on the belief that it is indicative of mental faculties
and character.

Physiognomy – the appearance of a person’s face; a

person’s facial features
Johann Lavater - the physiognomist, thought that the shape of the skull
and some facial features had an impact on a human behavior and actions.
Later, positivist theorist of crime Cesare Lombroso took Lavater’s idea and
began exploring other physical traits of a body.

Cesare Lombroso - the criminal anthropologist, not only researched the

facial features and the shape of the skull, but social conditions of
individual like unemployment and medical history of illnesses. He
compared a large number of criminals and non-criminals using human
physical traits like; ear size, hair length and others.
 Goring, the main critics of Lombroso, conducted the
research on crime heredity, but didn’t find any differences in facial
features or others human physical traits between prison inmates,
asylums inhabitants and non-criminals. The only physical
difference Goring found between an experiment and control group
was the significant dissimilarity in weight and stature.

Dr. Charles Goring – an English statistician, who studied the

case of 2,000 convicts and found that heredity is more influential
as determiner of criminal behavior than environment.
 In the early 1800s, public executions used to be commonplace.
The idea was that society would be afraid of the public punishment that
came with wrongdoing and adjust their actions. This reasoning for
punishment aligns with a view known as utilitarianism.

Utilitarianism - is a theory that one is motivated by pleasure and fear

the pain, so punishment can be used as a deterrent to commit crimes.
3. NEOCLASSICAL CRIME THEORY
Classical crime theory is represented by the theoretical study of
Jeremy Bentham and Cesare Beccarria.

Jeremy Bentham - was a founder of English utilitarianism. He

thought that human beings are hedonistic and act only in their
own self-interest.

Cesare Beccaria – an Italian writer who sought to change the

excessive and cruel punishment by applying the rationalist, social
contract ideas to crime and criminal justice.
NEOCLASSICAL CRIME THEORY
It is a continuation of classical crime theory
tradition. Development of neoclassical crime theory will
continue in 1980 with a forming of a new sociological
theories, i.e. differential association and identification.

Exemption from the law:

❖Children under seven (7) years of age
❖Person with mental disease
 Gabriel Tarde - published the book “Penal Philosophy” and also
the representative of neoclassical criminology theory. He was a French
sociologist and founder of neoclassical school. He criticizes classical and
positivist criminology and take the best from both criminology.
Neoclassical criminology theory considers age, gender and social class
of the perpetrators.
4. CLASSICAL THEORY
Classical theory in criminology has its roots in the theories of the 18th
century Italian nobleman and economics, Cesare Beccaria and the English
philosopher, Jeremy Bentham (Hollin, 2004, 2).

Jeremy Bentham - was a founder of English utilitarianism. He thought that

human beings are hedonistic and act only in their own self-
interest.
Cesare Beccaria – an Italian writer who sought to change the excessive
and cruel punishment by applying the rationalist, social contract ideas to
crime and criminal justice.
 This was a time in history when punishment for crime was severe in
the extreme, and both men proffered the theory of utility. Beccaria did not
develop a completely new theory of criminology, but rather sought a way to
make the punishment for committing a crime more rational. He published
an historic piece, “An Essay on Crimes and Punishment”, in 1764. He
advocated a proposition that punishment should be swift, certain and
proportional to the crime. He also advocated the abolition of both corporal
and capital punishment, a revolutionary idea in his time.
MAIN PRINCIPLES OF CLASSICAL SCHOOL OF CRIMINOLOGY
❖Crime is a rational choice, and most people are capable to
commits crimes.

❖People will commit a crime after they have compared

potential costs and benefits of such actions.

❖Most of the people fear punishment, and the certainty,

severity and speed of punishment will have an impact on the
level of crime.
MAIN PRINCIPLES OF CLASSICAL SCHOOL OF CRIMINOLOGY

❖Punishment needs to fit a crime and individual differences of

perpetrators shouldn’t have an influence on the punishment.

❖The criminal justice system needs to be predictable, while

laws and punishment must be known to public.
lex talionis or law of retaliation - The first model of
proportionality in applying punishment
5. CONFLICT THEORY

Conflict theory holds that crime results from the

conflict society among the different social classes, and the
laws actually arise from necessity as a result of conflict rather
than a general consensus. The fundamental causes of crime
are the social and economic forces operating within society.
 The criminal justice system and criminal law are thought to be
operating on the behalf of rich and powerful social elites, with resulting
policies aimed at controlling the poor. The criminal justice establishment
aims at imposing standards of morality and good behavior created by the
powerful from the have-nots who would steal from others and protecting
themselves from physical attacks. In the process the legal rights of poor
folks might be ignored. The middle class are also co-opted; they side with
the elites rather the poor, thinking they might themselves rise to the top
by supporting the status quo.
Karl Marx - a German philosopher; a political economist and
some think he was also a revolutionary. Although he did not write
extensively about crime he was credited with coming up with the
basis for social conflict theory. Those that have studied his
writings and his work and that have sided with him are often called
Marxist criminologist or sometimes are simply referred as radical
criminologist or critical criminologist.
(2) primary classes of Marx’s conflict theory
❖ Bourgeoisie - represents the member of the
society who hold the majority of the wealth and
means.

❖Proletariat - includes those considered working

class or poor.
(4) PRIMARY ASSUMPTIONS OF MODERN CONFLICT THEORY
❖Competition. Competition over scarce resources (money, leisure,
sexual partner, and so on) is at the heart of all social
relationships. Competition rather than consensus is
characteristic of human relationships.
❖Structural inequality. Inequalities in power and reward are built into
all social structures. Individuals and groups that benefits from
any particular structure strive to see it maintained.
❖Revolution. Change occurs as a result of conflict between social class
competing interest rather than through adaptation. It is often
abrupt and revolutionary rather than evolutionary.
❖War. Even war is a unifier of the societies involved, as well as war
may set an end to whole societies.
6. CRITICAL THEORY

Critical theory upholds the belief that a small

few, the elite of the society, decide laws and the
definition of crime; those who commit crimes
disagree with the laws that were created to keep
control of them.
THE CORE CONCEPTS OF CRITICAL THEORY
❖That critical social theory should be directed at the
totality of the society in its historical specificity (i.e.,
how it came to be configured at a specific point in
time)

❖That critical theory should improve understanding

of society by integrating all the major social sciences,
including geography, economic, sociology, history,
political science, anthropology and psychology.
 A “critical theory” has a distinctive aim: to
unmask the ideology falsely justifying some form of social
or economic oppression-reveal it as ideology-and, in so
doing, to contribute to the task of ending that oppression.
And so, a critical theory aims to provide a kind of
enlightenment about social and economic life that is itself
emancipator: persons come to recognize the oppression
they are suffering as oppression and are thereby partly
freed from it.
 Critical theory was first defined by Max
Horkheimer of the Frankfurt School of sociology in
his 1937 essay Traditional and Critical Theory:
Critical theory is a social theory oriented toward
critiquing and changing society as a whole in
contrast to traditional theory oriented only to
understanding or explaining it.
REFERENCES:

1.Theories and Causes of Crime

Dr. Daniel L. Tancangco, PhD

2. Criminology 1
Ms. Jesiebel T. Ayusip (NCF)