List the three main assumptions of human nature explored in this chapter, and explain how they can be connected to our current criminal justice system.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Classical school theorists believe that people have free will and are responsible for their own decision making. They claim that people are both rational and hedonistic, seek pleasure and avoid pain. Other theories, including many positivist theories, claim that a person is a blank slate, or tabula rasa. This assumption suggests that people are born without any sort of inherent nature and instead are completely shaped by their environment. People who believe in a tabula rasa conception of human nature fall clearly on the side of nurture in the nature–nurture debate. A third set of assumptions informs theories that start with the idea that people are naturally social or altruistic. According to some theorists, people are socially concerned actors who wish to help others and avoid harming them. This is because people tend to value social ties and do not want to risk losing them.

These assumptions can be connected to the criminal justice system in a variety of ways. If classical theories are correct and people can weigh and balance options and act in their own self-interest, justice policies can be shaped to make crime unattractive. On the other hand, if people are empty vessels whose behavior is shaped by experience, it is more likely that he or she will support the use of social programs or rehabilitation to deal with crime. Finally, if people are inherently altruistic and social forces corrupt individuals, then one might focus on how societal norms, pressures, and power allow some harmful behavior to continue yet define other harmful behavior as criminal.