The classical theory of crime explains that crime is committed on a person’s free will. This means that crime is a rational choice made by a person and they are in their full senses when committing it. In this theory the criminal is fully aware of the consequences of the crime but chooses to commit it. The biological theory on the other hand explains that committing crime is hereditary and that a criminal may possess criminal genes. This means that crime can be genetically transferred from the parents to the child. According to Eric See, the biological defects that a person possesses may also contribute to the crime. A person whose parents are criminals inherits the behaviors (See, 2004).
Schmalleger states that the classical theory suggests that criminals can only be identified after committing a crime (Schmalleger, 2001). This means that criminals have no marks or body features to associate them with crimes. Whereas the biological theory suggests that criminals can be identified from their genetic make up in their DNA structure. The character of the criminal is also used to identify them. However, it has not yet been scientifically proven that human being posses the criminal genes and are transferable. According to the classical theory crime can be prevented by introducing some laws and imposing punishment for failure of compliance (Rafter, 2008).
Crime can also be prevented through the environmental design. This means making the potential targets of crime unattractive since crime is a rational choice. On the other hand, crime is part of the criminal’s genetic composition; it becomes difficult to prevent it according to the biological theory. This is because the genes cannot be removed nor can crime be prevented by just simple punishment. This is because the individual has defects or abnormalities in his or her biological make up, any form of deterrence or punishment will not change their behaviors (Schmalleger, 2001). It may instead be prevented by putting them under medication, isolating them from the society or sterilizing them to prevent the defective genes from being passed to the future generation.
The best theory to explain criminal activities is the classical theory. According to the theory crime is committed out of ones own free will and is a rational choice (See, 2004). Most of the criminals are aware of the law and the consequences of their crimes and this is the reason why they hide after committing a crime. The criminals isolate themselves from the society and conduct their crimes without anyone’s knowledge. In most of the cases crimes are prevented by simply enacting laws and imposing punishment (Rafter, 2008).
. This clearly suggests that crime is a person’s choice. The biological crimes cannot be prevented by the law or punishment which is not the case in real sense. If for example a criminal is caught and his fingers are cut, chances are that the criminal will not commit the crimes again. This is a choice that one makes. Classical theory of crime can be verified by simply observing the behaviors of criminals. Their crimes are rationally planned and executed. They commit the crimes and hide from the law because they are aware of the punishment.
Conclusion
Crime is an illegal act which has some severe consequence. Committing a crime is a person’s free will because of these consequences. This is best explained by the classical theory of crime. However, in some instance crime may be hereditary. In this case it is explained by the biological theory. The classical is the most relevant theory because most of the crimes committed are out of a person’s free will with full knowledge of the punishments. The crimes are rationally planned and well executed.
References
Rafter, N. (2008). The Criminal Brain: Understanding Biological Theories of Crime. New York, NY: New York University Press.
Schmalleger, F. (2001). Criminology Today -An Integrative Introduction. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice- Hall.
See, E. (2004). Criminological Theories: Introduction, Evaluation, and Applications. Los Angeles, CA: Roxbury Publishing Company.