SOC 1500 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Cesare Beccaria, Jeremy Bentham, Tabula Rasa

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Sociology
• Course: SOC 1500
• Professor: Stephanie Howells

Document Summary

The demons and evil spirits were believed to cause crime. Magna carta foundation of modern laws and procedures (canada/uk); foundation of civil liberties around the world. Hobbes and locke were philosophers that believed that humans are blank slates (tabula rasa), nurture is more influential than nature in personality formation, and free will & rational thought are prevalent in people (people are self-determining) Classical school also says that punishment should be deterrence rather than retribution; crime prevention more important than revenge. There are two forms of deterrence: general consequence directed at individual but designed to dissuade society (e. g. public, specific designed to prevent individual from re-offending. Humans are rational actors; free-willed decision makers and can choose to engage in criminal activities or not this doesn"t allow for biological, psychological or social explanations. Types of theories: hangings) important) revolt: kind of person explanation. Psychological theories individual, internalized: social theories not individual; societal influence is focus.