CRIJ 2362 Exam 2 Graded A+

Origins of classical Criminology - ANSWER--Emerged from a movement to bring social reform in Europe in the 18th and 19th century -Cesare Beccaria & Jeremy Bentham Intro to classical criminology: Key arguments - ANSWER--Humans are rational, utility-maximizing actors who take possible costs of crime into account when making decision whether to commit crime Intro to classical criminology: Propositions - ANSWER--People are subjects more than they are objects -There are no fundamental differences between criminals and non-criminals since both groups are comprised of rational individuals -People have free will, pursue their own interests, seek pleasure, and avoid pain -Crime is the product of rationality, that is, it is the result of an individual's consideration of evidence regarding potential risks and rewards as well as costs and punishments -Crime occurs when people believe that the expected benefits of crime outweigh its anticipated negative consequences -Punishment (and environmental manipulation more generally) can effectively deter crime, especially when it is certain, swift, severe, and proportional Cesare Beccaria: Criminal punishment prior to the Enlightenment - ANSWER--Arbitrary, capricious, and harsh -Corporal punishment common responses to minor crimes -death penalty used more than 200 crimes and for less violent crimes -judges had virtually unrestrained discretion in setting penalties Cesare Beccaria: Key concepts originating from the enlightenment - ANSWER--introduced the concepts of freedom, rationality, and utility that applied to all people -reformers wanted to transform the justice system into fair, equitable, and corresponded with human nature Cesare Beccaria: Goals of punishment - ANSWER--Humans are born free, equal, and rational individuals having natural rights -Individual rights have priority over the interests of the society -The state is created through a social contract in which free, rational individuals give up part of their natural liberty for the sake of the common good -Laws should ensure greatest good (or happiness) for the greatest number of people Cesare Beccaria: Definitions of utility/ the utility principle - ANSWER--Humans have the free will to reason and the ability to choose actions that maximize utility -Utility is the balance of reward/benefit over pain/cost - Laws should ensure greatest good (or happiness) for the greatest number of people