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How did Jeremy Bentham influence the classical school of criminology?

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collection of evidence at a crime scene — criminology FBI workers collecting evidence.

Jeremy Bentham was a foundational figure in the classical school of criminology, a movement that emerged in the late 18th century to challenge the cruelty, arbitrariness, and inefficiency of existing legal and prison systems.3

His influence on this school was rooted in his development of utilitarianism, which posited that human behavior is governed by two sovereign motives: pleasure and pain. Bentham applied this principle to legal reform, arguing that the objective of all legislation should be the "greatest happiness of the greatest number".12

Key aspects of his influence included:

Penal Reform: Bentham argued that because punishment inherently causes pain, it should only be utilized when it promises to prevent a greater evil.2
Legal Rationalization: He sought to mitigate harsh penalties and advocated for the codification of laws to ensure due process, aiming to construct a logical system where crimes and penalties were balanced.3
Institutional Design: He was a pioneer of prison reform, most notably proposing the Panopticon, a model prison design intended to reform morals and preserve health through constant observation.2

While the classical school succeeded in humanizing penal institutions, it was later criticized for creating abstract equations between crimes and penalties that ignored the personal characteristics of individual defendants.3