ABSTRACT
The origins of the classical criminology school of thought are commonly believed to be the writings of Cesare Beccaria in the 18th century. A positivistic approach in explaining criminal behavior as an alternative to classical criminology gained strength in the 19th century. The psychopathic personality theory is perhaps the most visible personalitydisorder theory today. The psychopath has been defined as “a person with an antisocial personality disorder, one manifested in aggressive, perverted, or criminal behavior.” Mental illness theories have long purported criminal behavior, particularly violent criminality, to be caused by mental illness of some type. Strain theories also evolved from the Chicago School, explaining crime as a response to a lack of socially approved opportunities. Two of the more influential strain theories are theory of anomie and subcultural theory. Radical criminologists blame the high rate of street or lower-class criminality on the economic functioning of the capitalist system, which creates unemployment and underemployment, leading to conditions that promote criminal behavior.
