Different Schools of
Criminology
Introduction
In the mid-18th century, criminology arose as a discipline and gave thought to crime and concepts
of law. Over time, several schools of thought in the field criminology have developed. There were
three main schools of thought in early criminologica...
Different Schools of
Criminology 3
Introduction
In the mid-18th century, criminology arose as a discipline and gave thought to crime and concepts
of law. Over time, several schools of thought in the field criminology have developed. There were
three main schools of thought in early criminological theory during the period from the mid-18th
century to the mid-twentieth century: Classical, Positivist, and Chicago. These schools of thought
were outdated by several contemporary paradigms of criminology, such as the sub-culture, control,
strain, labelling, critical criminology, cultural criminology, postmodern criminology, feminist
criminology and many more. In this unit we will discuss about the different school of thoughts in
the field of criminology.
Duration Maximum 08 Days
.
Unit Lessons
Lesson 3.1 Pre-classical School
Lesson 3.2 Classical School
Lesson 3.3 Neo-classical School
Lesson 3.4 Positivist School
Lesson 3.5 Modern Positivism and Geographical School
Lesson 3.6 Cartographical School
Lesson 3.7 Sociological School
Lesson 3.8 Post-modernist Criminology
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,Bangladesh Open University MCCJ
Pre-classical School Lesson 3.1
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After completing this lesson, you should be able to:
Discuss the pre-classical school of thoughts in the field of criminology.
With the dominance of the church and religion in Europe during the 17th century, pre-classical
theory flourished. There were few scientific explanations for the causes of crime at the time,
and the concept of crime was hazy and ambiguous. After finishing this unit, you will have a
better understanding of the pre-classical school of thought in the field of criminology.
Pre- Classical School of Criminology
The demonological school is another name for the pre-classical school. During the seventeenth
century, Europe was characterized by a religious dominance in state activities. Scientific
knowledge was unknown at the time. The concept of crime was hazy and enigmatic. At the
time, society was largely unable to explain criminal behavior.
As a result, explanations for criminal behavior were sought in the form of spirits, demons, and
unknown power. The underlying principle of this concept was that a man commits a crime due
to the influence of an external force that is beyond man's control and understanding. God's
wrath was thought to be used to punish offenders. The offenders' trail was traced through
battles and stone pelting, and it was assumed that no harm would be done if the offender was
innocent. Because the spirit world is not easily understood or discernible, it provided an
excellent explanation for crime.
There were no further attempts to investigate the true cause of the crime. Worship, sacrifices,
and ordeals by fire and water were commonly prescribed to appease the spirit and free the
victims from its evil influence. Trial by battle was also used to determine the fate of the criminal.
As a result, the criminal was treated as if he could only be cured through torture and pain.
However, pre-classical thinking has withered with the passage of time and the advancement of
knowledge.
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,Bangladesh Open University MCCJ
Pre- Classical
School
Theory of Criminal Punishment
Demonism Trials of Criminal
Trial by Trial by
Trial by Oath
Ordeals Combat
The pre-classicals saw crime and criminals as proof that the individual was possessed by a devil
or demon, with the only cure being testimony to the spirit's effectiveness. Worships, sacrifices,
and ordeals by water and fire were commonly prescribed to identify the spirit and free the
victim from its evil influence. An ordeal is an ancient method of criminal trial. When an offender
pleaded "not guilty," he could choose whether to put himself on trial before God and the
country, by 12 men, or just God, and this was referred to as "the judgment of God," assuming
that God would deliver the innocent. Throwing into fire, throwing into water after tying a stone
around his neck, administering an oath by summoning God's wrath, trial by battle, and so on
are examples of such ordeals. Trial by battle was a common method of determining a criminal's
fate. In the ancient judicial system, oaths and ordeals were very important in determining the
guilt of the offender. The familiar belief that "when human agency fails, recourse to divine
means of proof becomes most inevitable" was advanced as justification for these rituals.
Though these practices appear irrational and barbarous to the modern mind, they were
universally accepted and existed in most Christian countries until the thirteenth century. The
Roman law completely ignored the system of ordeals and it was forbidden in Quran.
However, society's right to punish the offender was widely acknowledged. The offender was
thought to be an innately depraved (morally bad) individual who could only be cured through
torture and pain. The evolution of criminal law was still in its early stages. Hobbes proposed
that fear of punishment at the hands of the monarch was a sufficient deterrent for members
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, Bangladesh Open University MCCJ
of early society to refrain from sinful acts that were synonymous with crimes. Thus, the
theosophists, particularly St. Thomas Aquinas, and social contract writers such as Donte
Alighieri, Machiavelli, Martin Luther, and Jean Bodin laid the groundwork for Beccaria's classical
school later on. However, pre-classical thinking withered (died) with the passage of time and
the advancement of knowledge.
ACTIVITY
Write down the main proposition of pre-classical school of thoughts.
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
SUMMARY
In this session, you learned about the different thought of pre-classical
school in the field of criminology.
ASSIGNMENT
Discuss the pre-classical school of criminology in context of ancient period
of Bangladesh.
References:
Adler, Freda and Mueller, G.W. (2004), Criminology and the Criminal Justice System, 5th
Edition, New York.
Ahuja, Ram, (1996), Sociological Criminology. New Age International (P) Limited, India.
Akers, Ronald L. Criminological Theories: Introduction and Evaluation, Roxbury
Publishing Company.
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