When Did Deterrence Theory Began?

Deterrence theory was revived in the 1970s when various economists and criminologists began to speculate about the topic again, not only as an explanation for why people commit crime but also as a solution to crime (Pratt et al., 2006).

When was deterrence theory created?

Since the 1960s, deterrence has been a major point of research in the criminal justice field. However, the deterrence theory was developed in the eighteenth century by philosophers who believed that humans control their behavior based on the perceived rewards and/or punishments that would result from such actions.

Who invented deterrence theory?

It begins with a brief intellectual history of deterrence theory in the work of Cesare Beccaria and Jeremy Bentham, two Enlightenment philosophers who created the conceptual foundation for later deterrence and rational choice theory.