NewLearningGuide School of Social Sciences and Psychology Disciplines of Criminology and Criminal Justice LEARNING GUIDE XXXXXXXXXXCrime, Deviance and Society 2013-Spring TABLE OF CONTENTS UNIT WEEKLY...

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Biological Positivism: Its Importance in Contemporary Criminal Justice System
Since their inception the theories of crime have tried to explain the real reason behind the
proneness of certain people towards committing criminal acts. These theories have always been
concerned with the process of explaining the fact that while the majority of people resort to
peaceful means for settling different issues and for adapting to changing situations, some specific
individuals resort to crime and illegal conducts for coping with certain situations or for acquiring
something including social status, money, or some other things. Contemporary criminal justice
system and processes rely on myriads of such theories of crime and it does so because without
the proper analysis of the criminal act and the criminal motive of the individual who commits
such crime, it is never possible to formulate a punitive policy. The biological theory of crime and
especially biological positivism is among those important theories which, despite of their
criticism, did emerge as one of the most significant theories of crime that are thoroughly
effective in explaining why some people resort to criminal acts while the others don’t, these
theories still hold an important position in the criminal justice system and policies.
The Positivist school of thought is a distinct school that has been based upon the
philosophical approach as proposed by Auguste Comte and this philosophy emphasizes on the
use of empirical (quantitative) or scientific investigation for the betterment of the society
(“Positivist Theories: Biological and Psychological”, n.d.). The basic premises of Positivism is
based upon measurement or quantification, objectivity of neutrality, and causality or
determinism (“Chapter 5: Biological and Psychological Theories Chapter Outline”, n.d.). It is
noteworthy that criminological positivists emphasize more on a consensus worldview, focusing
on the criminal actor rather than the act and it follows a deterministic model (“Positivist
Theories: Biological and Psychological”, n.d.). The criminological positivists show more faith in
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the scientific expertise and they believe in rehabilitation rather than punishment (“Positivist
Theories: Biological and Psychological”, n.d.). It is this belief in rehabilitation rather than
punishment which is gradually becoming the most dominant principle in modern criminal justice
systems and processes and judging from this angle it can be said that the influence of positivist
criminological theories on the contemporary criminal justice systems and processes is
undeniable.
The positivists think that human behavior is determined and not a matter of free will (a
concept opposite to the classical theory of crime) and that, criminals are fundamentally different
from non-criminals (“Chapter 3: Explaining Crime”, n.d.). The positivists also believe that there
are multiple factors causing crime and social scientists should be remain objective in analyzing
the factors responsible for infusing criminal tendencies within individuals (“Chapter 3:
Explaining Crime”, n.d.). The positivist theory can be subdivided into two major subdivisions –
biological positivism and psychological positivism....