Positivist school assumptions

POSITIVIST SCHOOL  Deterministic approach, offenders do not have control and are forced into committing criminal acts. Offenders should be treated rather than punished.   Assumptions PS = CROL  Character and personal backgrounds explain criminal behaviour  Reject view that people are reasonable, free will and capable of choice. Primarily shaped by factors and forces outside of their control  Offender fundamentally different from non-offender. Offenders driven into crime by physical makeup, psychological impulses and harshness of their social environment.  Length of custody should depend solely on nature of criminal act and the diagnosis and classification of the offender.