Behavior Of Criminals
Behavior Of Criminals
In basic terms, criminology refers to the study of crime and the behavior of criminals. Different theorists and professionals provide different perspectives with regard to some of the most sensitive issues in criminology. From these perspectives, biological anthropology and classical liberal criminology are among the most notable areas of interest. Classical liberalism presents and insight into the perspectives that have been previously used to assess issues in criminology. In essence, classical liberalism emphasizes on aspects such as freewill. On the other hand, biological anthropology examines criminal issues from a scientific perspective. Although numerous differences are evident between these ideologies, they also have various resemblances. This paper seeks to compare and contrast the two ideologies with regard to criminology.
Classical Liberalism
Classical liberalism is a school of thought that emphasizes on the conventional approaches towards criminology. According to this ideology, rational choice plays an enormous role in the actions and behavior of individuals. In essence, this implies that human beings have the freewill to behave as they please. Conventionally, this has been the basis for understanding the different aspects of criminology. For instance, governments have traditionally used to ideology of classical liberalism to control people through the law. This situation is evident in most dictatorial regimes that use oppressive laws to manipulate people.
However, it is fundamentally essential to pinpoint that classical liberalism avoids any form of scientific approach towards solving issues in criminology. For instance, an action’s judgment is based on its consequences rather than the intentions of the offender. Classical liberalism also seeks to enhance the wellbeing of people in the society. Consequently, this ideology does not condone criminal activities such as murder. Classical liberal criminology seeks to promote behaviors that are more or less beneficial to the entire society (McLaughlin 24). Consequently, it encourages responsible behavior from an individual. Some of the criminal laws in the United States seem to borrow heavily from classical liberalism. For instance, more than ten states uphold the death penalty although the Supreme Court abolished it. In such states, individuals in these states must behave with utmost responsibility. The judgment process in some criminal cases is also an essential platform for assessing the manifestation of classical liberalism. For instance, an individual might escape a lengthy term in jail if he can prove that he did not have nefarious intentions for committing a crime.
Biological Anthropology
In contrast to classical liberalism, the ideology of biological anthropology emphasizes upon the role of science in the actions of an individual. According to this ideology, biological perspectives have extensive implications upon the behavior of human beings. Biological anthropology stipulates that the human brain keeps evolving up to a certain age in life. This is clearly evident in adolescents. Based on scientific evidence, the reasoning capacity of adolescents is not comparable to adults (McLaughlin 49). Consequently, similar standards should not apply while judging the behavior of individuals in both categories. For instance, an adolescent might lack the intuitive capacity to think critically about the consequences of shooting. It is thus morally inappropriate for adults to be judged on the same standards as adults.
The ideology of biological anthropology outlines that young people do not have the brain capacity to make rational decisions. This assertion is based on scientific studies which use modern technology platforms such as magnetic resonance imaging. This shows a clear disparity between the ideology of biological anthropology and classical liberalism. Another crucial aspect with regard to biological anthropology is that it facilitates for the cross examination of evidence in a criminal case. The ideologies of biological anthropology are increasingly evident in criminology. This mostly applies to forensic science. Criminologists are increasingly using technology and modern medical platforms to instigate criminal activities. According to biological anthropology, minor details can make a substantial difference is a sensitive criminal case. It is also essential to highlight that biological anthropology advocates for punishments that are based on the intentions of offenders
Similarities
There are numerous similarities evident between biological anthropology and classical liberalism. Firstly, the implementation of both ideologies is evident in criminology. The implementation of classical liberalism in criminology was a conventional approach. On the other hand, the implementation of biological anthropology is evident in the modern forms of criminology. For instance, biological anthropology has been the basis of numerous sensitive cases (McLaughlin 21).
The second perspective that depicts the similarity between these ideologies pertains to political influence. Although both approaches have different principles, it is evident that they integrate some forms of political ideologies. For instance, governments use classical liberalism in manipulating people. For biological anthropology, there exists extensive political debate with regard to its implementation in some states. The death penalty is active in some states while it is inactive in other jurisdictions. This depicts the political perspectives that characterize both biological anthropology and classical liberalism.Both ideologies seek to present a platform for settling sensitive cases in criminal law. This mostly applies to murder and cases involving felony. Consequently, both theories are integral components of criminal law.
Differences
It is also crucial to examine the various differences between biological anthropology and classical liberalism. The differences between the two ideologies are evident in theory and also in practice. The ideology of biological anthropology has a strong emphasis on the use of scientific evidence in criminal cases. According to this ideology, scientific evidence is an essential platform for averting unnecessary bias in a sensitive criminal case. In contrast, the ideology of classical liberalism emphasizes on the role of rational choices in criminal activities. In essence, this implies that criminals have an intuitive capacity to discern between acceptable and unacceptable behaviors. The second perspective that depicts the difference between the two ideologies pertains to the cross examination of evidence in a criminal case.
According to the ideology of biological anthropology, individuals might indulge in criminal activities because of low brain capacity. This then facilitates for the incorporation of comprehensive scientific tests in criminal analysis. On the contrary, such perspectives are not evident in the ideology of classical liberalism. This is shows why different perspectives on the death penalty exist in classical liberalism. According to the ideology of classical liberalism, human beings ought to pursue happiness in order to flourish. Consequently, this can be used as an explanation for the criminal activities of some individuals. However, the ideology of biological anthropology faults this supposition. This is because psychological perspectives have an inherent capacity to influence the behavior of human beings.
Additionally, the ideology of biological anthropology provides different evolution perspectives as explanations for human behavior. According to this school of thought, evolution is a continuous process and this explains the disparities in the behavior of different people. However, the ideology of classical liberalism disputes the inclusion of such perspectives in criminology. It is also crucial to pinpoint that the ideology of classical liberalism perceives crime as a social issue. Consequently, averting criminal problems must start at the society level (McLaughlin 336). This is different from the perspectives evident in the ideologies of biological anthropology. According to this theory, there should be a scientific evaluation of the root causes of crime. For instance, genetics can easily contribute towards the pursuit of criminal activities in some individuals (McLaughlin, 79). All these perspectives are useful in highlighting the differences between biological anthropology and classical liberalism.
Conclusion
Throughout the analysis, the various resemblances and disparities between biological anthropology and classical liberalism are evident. Different theorists and professionals provide different perspectives with regard to some of the most sensitive issues in criminology. From these perspectives, biological anthropology and classical liberal criminology are among the most notable areas of interest. According to classical liberalism, rational choice plays an enormous role in the actions and behavior of individuals. In essence, this implies that human beings have the freewill to behave as they please.
Conventionally, this has been the basis for understanding the different aspects of criminology. For instance, governments have traditionally used to ideology of classical liberalism to control people through the law. Biological anthropology stipulates that the human brain keeps evolving up to a certain age in life. This is clearly evident in adolescents. Based on scientific evidence, the reasoning capacity of adolescents is not comparable to adults. Consequently, similar standards should not apply while judging the behavior of individuals in both categories. For biological anthropology, there exists extensive political debate with regard to its implementation in some states. The death penalty is active in some states while it is inactive in other jurisdictions.
Reference
McLaughlin, Eugene. & Hughes, Gordon. Criminological perspectives: Essential perspectives. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE, 2003
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