What are the basic assumptions of the three leading perspectives (classical school, determinism, and positivism), and how do they contribute to the development of criminological theorizing?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Possible answer: The classical school's assumptions are: 1) decisions are based on the principles of deterrence, and 2) crime is not a function of spirituality but of free will and rational choice (e.g., cost/benefit analyses).

Determinism's assumption is: the causes of behavior can be determined and this allows predictions about behavioral outcomes that would be likely to occur under certain conditions to be made. These conditions can include biological, psychological, and environmental/ecological factors.

Positivism's assumptions are: 1) the scientific method will yield the best results, 2) patterns about reality can be identified via the scientific method, and 3) causes of behavior can be determined (see determinism above).

Positivism is very important driving force of current development of criminological thinking in that it grounds these developments in the scientific method to produce sound theory that can be tested and retested to confirm tenets. The concepts of positivism encourage us to resist assumptions about criminal behavior that are not grounded in science. Also, the theoretical concepts of classical theory continue to drive many of our criminal justice policies, particularly those that involve punishment for crimes. Quite simply, if you commit a crime in modern societies, the criminal justice system will serve to try to prevent further occurrences by applying punishment. This punishment is also there to serve as a reminder to the populous that crime will not be tolerated in society.