Classical school (criminology)

The classical school of criminology is a way of thinking about why people break the law. In simple terms, it suggests that people commit crimes because they choose to, and that those choices are influenced by whether they think they will get caught and punished.

For example, imagine you really want a cookie, but your mom has told you not to take one without asking. You might think about whether your mom is nearby or likely to catch you, and whether the punishment would be worth it. If you decide that the risk isn't worth it, you might not take the cookie.

The classical school believes that people make similar kinds of calculations when they commit crimes. They might think about things like:

- How likely am I to get caught?
- What kind of punishment would I face if I did get caught?
- Would the benefit of committing the crime (e.g. getting money, stealing something they want, etc.) be worth the risk of getting caught and punished?

This way of thinking about crime was popular in the 18th and 19th centuries, when people like Jeremy Bentham and Cesare Beccaria were writing about it. They believed that if governments made punishments for crimes certain, severe and swift, people would be less likely to commit them.

So, in summary, the classical school of criminology suggests that people commit crimes because they choose to, and that their choices are influenced by the likelihood of getting caught and punished.