Topic > Classical theory and positivist theory in the criminal...

They cannot be related to the victim or the perpetrator of the crime. To remain fair, the accused has the right to hire a free lawyer. The theorist goes further to explain that to deter and reduce crime, “the severity of sanctions imposed should be proportionate to the crime committed and no more than is necessary to deter the crime committed.” delinquent and others from committing further crimes”, ('Classical', 2010). Deterrence theory can be traced back to the early works of classical philosophers such as Cesare Beccaria and Jeremy Bentham. The three major individual components of deterrence theory were: certainty, speed, and severity. Philosophers believe that if punishment is severe, certain, and swift, a rational person will measure gains and losses before engaging in a crime and will be aware of not breaking the law if the loss is greater than the gain. Today's criminal justice policies sometimes rely on the foundations of deterrence theory. For example, programs such as boot camps for adolescent delinquents and “Scared Straight” programs continue to rely on deterrence theory. Criminologists are working in the direction of expanding the concepts of deterrence with respect to certainty, severity and celerity. Deterrence theory is commonly used routinely