2.4 Where Do Criminological Theories Come From?

Criminological Theories can come from anywhere and everywhere. Anyone can be a Criminologist. There are no guidelines for who can or cannot be a Criminologist, nor is there any club membership for who can produce a Criminological Theory. Criminologists can be and have been Economists, Lawyers, Medical Doctors, Social Workers, Police Officers, School Teachers, Journalists, Psychologists, and Counselors. All it takes is a keen interest in observation and research and asking the right questions to formulate a proper theory.

Criminological Theories are broken down into “schools.” There have been a few of them throughout their short history, but they are all equally important. They are:

• The Classical (or Modern) School,
• The Positivist School,
• The Chicago (or Social Positivist) School,
• The Neoclassical School, and
• The Contemporary School.

Each School of Criminological Theory produced its fair share of ground-breaking theories, but for the sake of this text, we will only highlight a few of them. First, though, we have to know who some of the important criminological theorists were according to their specific school. The following section will introduce you to some of the most notable theorists/figures in the field of Criminological Theory, however, there are a multitude of them that unfortunately there is not enough room to include. They are covered in advanced theory courses if you so choose to pursue a course of study in the Criminology field or a Criminal Justice degree.