Schools of Criminology

     SCHOOLS OF CRIMINOLOGY 

1.Pre-Classical School:- It is also known as demonological school.During 17th century,Demonological theory was spread in Europe as during this time dominance of religion,churches and worshipping was at its peak.There was no scientific explanation or reasoning for causation of crime.It was believed that the people loses their sense of morality and then commits crime and individual in this state cannot be able to differentiate between what is right and what is wrong because when the person commits crime, the sense of understanding is influenced by evil powers.The treatment given under this school was of extreme torture to the person who commits crime.Therefore,Due to such harsh,extreme and cruel torture against criminal under this school was highly criticised.(Jeremy Bentham is considered as the founder of the Pre-Classical school).

2.Classical School:- During the middle of 18th century Cesare Beccaria expounded the classical school by rejecting the concept of evil spirits or demons responsible for causation of crime.He supported the notion that crime is commited with the free will of an individual that the person commits crime out of pain and pleasure.It is believed that punishment must be according to the intensity of crime.Classical school was also criticised because it doesn't differentiate between the first offender and habitual offender.

3.Neo-Classical School:- It focuses on understanding the facts and circumstances under which crime had taken placed and the mental state of offender. It classifies criminal into various types such as first offender,habitual offender,minor,insane,etc.Punishment under this school be given according to the mental state and mental capacity of the offender. Later,it was criticised because it  focuses on the punishment rather than reformation of an offender.

4.Positivist School:- It was founded in 19th century.The propounder of  positivist school such as Cesare Lombroso,Enrico Ferri,Raffealeo and Garofalo focuses on criminals rather than crime.It suggests that criminology is linked various factors such as biological,psychological and sociological.

The criminals are divided into  three categories by this school as:-

i)Born Criminal:- The criminals in whom the criminal behaviour is genetically transferred. 

ii)Insane Criminal:-The criminals who are of unsound mind and are not in their state of mind to understand the nature of crime are known as insane criminals.They cannot understand the nature of the act and are not able to differentiate between what is right and what is right due to insanity and unsoundness of the mind.

iii)Criminoids:-Criminals those who have inferior complex about themselves and have tendency to commit crime to overcome their inferiority are known as criminoids.

5.Sociological School:- It focuses on the social factors that contribute to crime and criminal behaviour. It examines how social institutions such as family,education and economy influences individual's behaviour and their likelihood of engaging in crime.