The three main proponents of the Positivist School were Cesare Lombroso, Enrico Ferri, and Raffaele Garofalo. Lombroso was an Italian physician who believed that criminals could be identified by physical characteristics, such as a sloping forehead or a large jaw. Ferri was an Italian lawyer who argued that crime was caused by a combination of factors, including poverty, unemployment, and lack of education. Garofalo was an Italian jurist who believed that crime could be prevented by using harsh punishments and by reforming society.
The Positivist School had a major impact on the development of criminology. It led to the development of new theories about the causes of crime and to new methods of studying crime. It also led to the development of new approaches to crime prevention and rehabilitation.
Some of the key concepts of the Positivist School include:
- Crime is caused by factors beyond the control of the individual, such as biology, psychology, or environment.
- Criminals can be identified by their physical characteristics or by their behavior.
- Punishment should be used to deter crime and to reform criminals.
- Rehabilitation is more effective than punishment in preventing crime.
The Positivist School has been criticized for its determinism, its focus on individual factors, and its neglect of social factors. However, it remains an important influence on criminology today.
Here are some of the contributions of the Positivist School to criminology:
- It introduced the concept of determinism, which holds that human behavior is determined by factors beyond the control of the individual.
- It developed new theories about the causes of crime, such as Lombroso's theory of atavism and Ferri's theory of social defense.
- It introduced new methods of studying crime, such as statistical analysis and social surveys.
- It led to the development of new approaches to crime prevention and rehabilitation, such as the use of indeterminate sentences and the development of parole and probation programs.
The Positivist School has been influential in the development of criminology, but it has also been criticized for its determinism and its focus on individual factors. However, it remains an important influence on criminology today.