Who is recognized as the father of the Classical School of Criminology?

Who is recognized as the father of the Classical School of Criminology?

• A. Cesare Beccaria
• B. John Howard
• C. Jeremy Bentham
• D. Elmira Reformatory founder

Answer: (A)

The main idea is that crime is treated as a result of rational choice and that punishment should deter future offenses. Cesare Beccaria argued in On Crimes and Punishments that people calculate costs and benefits before acting, so laws should be clear, punishments proportionate to the crime, and applied with certainty and swiftness to deter crime. This approach, focusing on deterrence, proportional penalties, and rational calculation, defines the Classical School and is why Beccaria is widely recognized as its father. While Jeremy Bentham also shaping classical ideas through utilitarian principles and reform, Beccaria’s early, explicit articulation established the framework. John Howard is known for prison reform and improving conditions rather than developing this theoretical orientation, and the Elmira Reformatory founder reflects a later reform movement rather than the classical criminology foundation.

The main idea is that crime is treated as a result of rational choice and that punishment should deter future offenses. Cesare Beccaria argued in On Crimes and Punishments that people calculate costs and benefits before acting, so laws should be clear, punishments proportionate to the crime, and applied with certainty and swiftness to deter crime. This approach, focusing on deterrence, proportional penalties, and rational calculation, defines the Classical School and is why Beccaria is widely recognized as its father. While Jeremy Bentham also shaping classical ideas through utilitarian principles and reform, Beccaria’s early, explicit articulation established the framework. John Howard is known for prison reform and improving conditions rather than developing this theoretical orientation, and the Elmira Reformatory founder reflects a later reform movement rather than the classical criminology foundation.