Classical Theory

Deterrence and Classical Theory in Criminal Justice Policy Student Instructor Institution Course and Code Date Deterrence and Classical Theory in Criminal Justice Policy Deterrence as a policy was developed so that society could lessen the rate of offenses, as each individual would be willing to think twice before participating in a crime because of the punishment given against the committed offense. This departs from the Classical School of criminology that posits people turn to crime because they balance the chances of being apprehended against the risk of being arrested and refrain from the crime if the punishment doled out is efficient, prompt, and severe enough to deter crime (Thilakarathna, 2019). The proponent of this school of thought, specifically Ceasar Becaria, has argued that to restrain offenses, a legal system has to be well known, and punishment has to be employed as the deterring force against the intending offenders and to preserve order. However, in this essay, I will describe the policy of deterrence, analyze its effectiveness, and, at last, verify whether it matches Classical Theory based on Thilakarathna’s article published in 2019. An example of a policy based on deterrence is the administration of factors contained in mandatory minimum sentencing laws. They are legal norms that require the judges to lead the convict through set minimum tariffs for certain crimes, and the goal is to eliminate judging discretion and to guarantee the offender quantified severe punishments. Therefore, the policy in the themed condition proposed by the Classical School should help decrease crime since the offenders will be made to understand the possible consequences, and there will be no way to escape from the punishment (Thilakarathn...