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The Positivist School

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ndividuals have a free will to make choices and to act on their own accord
People will generally seek pleasure and avoid pain, and they will rationally calculate the cost versus the benefit when choosing to commit an act.
Punishment can be used to deter crime, and the severity of the punishment must be proportional to the crime itself.
The swiftness and the certainty of the punishment is the most important factor in deterring crime.
Positivist School

The Positivist School suggests that there are other factors at work in deviant behavior besides simple pleasure seeking and pain avoidance. Positivism supposes external and internal factors that may be beyond the control of the individual. This includes biological, psychological and environmental …show more content…
This school of thought advanced the idea that human behavior was, at least partially, determined by social structure. It takes into account psychological and environmental factors in seeking to determine the causes of deviant behavior.

The Chicago School applies the theory of evolution to criminology, particularly the notion that human beings adapt to their environment. It suggests that poverty leads to a breakdown in the social structure, which in turn hampers the ability of a society to deal effectively with crime while at the same time perpetuating circumstances that lead to the perceived need to commit crimes to begin with.

Criminology Improves Society

The field of criminology has lead to improvements across our criminal justice system, including our response to crime and our treatment of both victims and criminals. It continues to help us better understand the real costs of crime for all involved and for society as a whole.

Criminology has lead to even more specialized areas of study, including environmental criminology. It has also brought advancements in police tactics and practices, such as community-oriented policing and more focused patrols through predictive policing.

Careers in …show more content…
Earning a degree in the field can open doors to academic pursuits or advanced studies in areas such as forensic psychology, or provide a solid foundation for a criminal justice career. Either way, criminology is both a fascinating and rewarding field, full of intrigue and

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