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Criminology and Penology · Unit 1

Criminology exam question: Trace the development of the schools

The question (15 marks)

Trace the development of the schools of criminology from the pre-classical outlook to the present, and show in each case what defeated the school or limited its claim. (15 marks)

MU Module I, the schools of criminology; chapter on the schools, and the studies of the classical, cartographic, positive and clinical schools.

Plan your answer on paper before you look at the authorities — issue first, then the rule, then apply it to these facts.

It tests Unit 1 · Nature and Scope of Criminology, and its Schools of Criminology and Penology.

Authorities you will need

  • Aquinas, for the spiritual explanation and the sentence on Jean Calas in 1762
  • Beccaria, On Crimes and Punishments
  • The first annual national crime statistics, France
  • Lombroso, L'Uomo Delinquente
  • Garland, on the two projects and on the recovery of tradition; Beirne, on the classical and positive schools as one enterprise

How an answer is marked

A full-marks answer names the issue in one line, states the rule with its section, cites the authority, applies it to these facts and concludes — in that order. The app's model answer for this question is written in exactly that shape, with a checklist to mark your own attempt against.