Which of the following is a key assumption of the classical school's perspective?

The classical school of criminology, which emerged in the 18th century, is built on several fundamental assumptions about human behavior and the justice system. One key assumption is that individuals engage in rational decision-making, where they weigh the potential pleasures and pains of their actions before committing a crime. This principle aligns closely with the concept of hedonism, which posits that people are motivated by the pursuit of pleasure and the avoidance of pain.

In this framework, the idea that hedonism influences rational choice highlights how individuals consider the benefits of criminal behavior against the likelihood of punishment or negative consequences. Thus, individuals are seen as capable of making rational choices based on a cost-benefit analysis—one of the central tenets of the classical school.

Other options present alternatives that do not align with this perspective; they suggest deterministic views, greater focus on punishment justifications, or dismissal of social factors, which do not fit within the rational choice theory that characterizes classical criminology.