Classical School of Criminology and the Positivist School of Criminology

Comparing the Classical and Positivist Schools of Criminology Student’s Name Institution of Affiliation Course Date Comparing the Classical and Positivist Schools of Criminology The Classical and Positivist Schools of Criminology are two essential paradigms relating to crime and defining criminal justice policies. The Classical School, originating from the Age of Enlightenment, regards crime as a product of rational choice, while the Positivist School does not state that crime is due to factors beyond the offender's control. These two approaches present different ways of analyzing crime and thus present different consequences for today’s Criminal Justice systems. The Classical School of Criminology originated in the 18th century when thinkers and scholars such as Cesare Beccaria, Jeremy Bentham, and others presumed that crime is the consequence of reason and free will. This school assumes that human beings are reasoning agents and evaluates the gains one would make out of a crime against the impacts they would face (Williams & McShane, 2018). At the core of this school of thought is the concept of deterrence, meaning that punishment has to be administered in the shortest time possible, be consistent, and correspond to the gravity of the crime committed. According to Beccaria, if a legal system is defined well and implemented correctly, people, as well as soc...