Criminal Theory

For years people have tried to find reasons why people commit crime. Crimes are committed for many different  reasons, therefore theorists create theories around these reasons. Before the twentieth century most crime theories were based around physical aspects of the individual. Cesare Lombroso is the father of criminology. He focused mainly on the biological characteristics of people. Lombroso is most known for his theory of Atavism. Atavistic humans were believed to be traced back to a more primitive human being. If they had primitive characteristics they were targeted as being criminal. In time Lombroso's theory was rejected by his peers, because his means were unethical and theories began to look at psychological aspects. 

Cesare Beccaria and Jeremy Bentham are significant figures in the Classical Theory of Criminology. They believed that torture was wrong and the criminal justice system needed to be modernized. Classical Theory states that people commit crime out of free will and they know what they are doing. They should be punished according to their crimes. Their punishment in turn would deter similar criminal individuals from committing crime. 

A huge turning point in American criminology was the beginning of the Chicago School of Criminology. Robert E. Park focused on concentric zones and crime is learned by older criminals. Social disorganization is supported by Park's ideas. It states that disorganized societies or ones that are poverty stricken have a higher number of criminals.

Criminology is a very interesting subject, because it is hard to find a solid explanation. It is a challenge to find  out why criminals commit crime. People will continue to study this subject, because it is forever changing. It may not stop crimes from happening, but help the public understand why it happened.