Which statement best reflects the classical school of criminology?

Which statement best reflects the classical school of criminology?

• A. People commit crimes due to free choice between right and wrong.
• B. Crime is caused primarily by genetic factors.
• C. Crime results from social inequality and cultural values.
• D. Crime is a result of psychological disorders.

Answer: (A)

Crime, in the classical school, results from rational, free-willed choices. Individuals are seen as rational actors who weigh the potential benefits of a crime against the costs or penalties if caught, so crime occurs when the perceived payoff is greater than the risk. This leads to the emphasis on deterrence: if punishment is certain, swift, and proportional, it discourages criminal acts by increasing the cost of offending. The statement that people commit crimes due to free choice between right and wrong best captures this view of human agency and deterrence. Other explanations reflect different traditions. Genetic or biological factors belong to the positivist approach, which looks for internal determinants of behavior. Social inequality and cultural values align with structural or conflict theories that emphasize social conditions, not individual rational calculation. Psychological disorders point to individual pathology rather than deliberate rational choice.

Crime, in the classical school, results from rational, free-willed choices. Individuals are seen as rational actors who weigh the potential benefits of a crime against the costs or penalties if caught, so crime occurs when the perceived payoff is greater than the risk. This leads to the emphasis on deterrence: if punishment is certain, swift, and proportional, it discourages criminal acts by increasing the cost of offending. The statement that people commit crimes due to free choice between right and wrong best captures this view of human agency and deterrence.

Other explanations reflect different traditions. Genetic or biological factors belong to the positivist approach, which looks for internal determinants of behavior. Social inequality and cultural values align with structural or conflict theories that emphasize social conditions, not individual rational calculation. Psychological disorders point to individual pathology rather than deliberate rational choice.