The system of law in the European tradition, its mechanisms of enforcement and the forms of punishment used prior to the expanse of thought in ideas of crime in the late 18th and early 19th century, were primitive and … See more

John Locke considered the mechanism that had allowed monarchies to become the primary form of government. He concluded that monarchs had asserted the right to rule and enforced it either through an exercise in raw power or through a form of contract, e.g. the See more

Spiritualistic understandings of crime stem from an understanding of life in general that finds most things in life are destined and cannot be … See more

The idea of man as a calculating animal requires the view of crime as a product of a free choice by offenders. The question for policy makers is … See more

In 1764, he published Dei Delitti e Delle Pene (On Crimes and Punishments) arguing for the need to reform the criminal justice system by referring not to the harm caused to the … See more

In this context, the most relevant idea was known as the "felicitation principle" of utilitarianism, i.e. that whatever is done should aim to give … See more

The Neo-classical school (criminology) of the 19th century contributed modifications to pure Classical thought, led by French thinkers such as … See more