Public Offenders and rehabilitation Module 1 topic 2 Module Content 1. Classical Criminal Theory 2. Rational Choice or Displacement theory Traditional Classical Theory For an introduction to traditional classical theory see chapter 1 by Piers Beirne in Cornish and Clarke.
This approach founded by the Famous 18th/19th century criminologist/scientist Cesare Beccaria is that which underlies our common understanding of criminality and philosophically underpins the development of the criminal law (which is based on free choice, the notion that people have the ability to freely choose or not choose to commit a crime).
Classical theory includes a number of related approaches – classical theory, neoclassical theory and the more recent version of these approaches referred to as Rational Choice Theory. http://www. julianhermida. com/crimclassical. htm http://uir. unisa. ac.
“The assumption was that pleasure-seeking, self-interested, rational humans make individual choices about their future behaviour by weighing not only the consequences of criminal justice sanctions should they get caught, but also the barriers and costs in situations and circumstances of criminal opportunity. (p. 17) It will be seen this approach does conflict with that of the positivists who propose that criminality is some sort of character trait that manifests itself despite situations and circumstances.
