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Pros And Cons Of Rational Choice Theory Of Crime

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For years an answer has been searched for an important question, why do people commit crime? Philosophers have come together over the span of years to try to answer this very question. The choice theory, the trait theory, the social structure theory and many more have all had their attempt to answer such a demanding question. Many people have their own different opinions on which theory explains it the most; the one theory that makes the most sense to me is the Rational Choice Theory. This theory states that an offender simply weighs the pros and cons of being caught for an illegal activity to decide if they will do continue to go through with it or not. For them, it is a choice. While we could argue biological factors and their structure …show more content…

The offense-specific crime, where the crime is premeditated and based off of the characteristics of the victim, and the offender-specific crime where the criminal decides if they will commit the crime based off of their own personal needs and skill sets. For an offense-specific crime factors such as the probability of the victim having security devices is evaluated, whether there is a presence of dogs, can the offender get away quickly, what escape routes are present and many more. For an offender-specific crime factors of the offender are evaluated, does the offender have the skills needed to commit the crime, do they have resources needed to commit the crime, is there an overbearing need for money in the offenders life, and are they physically strong enough to commit the crime (Siegel …show more content…

“In RTC, criminal offenders are actually no different than noncriminal offenders. Both willingly choose their own behaviors, and both choose those behaviors on the basis of a rational consideration of the costs and benefits of the intended action” (Rational Choice Theory). A person rationally makes the decision to commit a crime. Just as another person may decide to do something else such as go to the grocery store or to walk their dog. Both persons thought out the process, listed the pros and cons, and decided to do that action. While no one ever said that the thought process was a good idea and they were making a rational decision, they still decided to think through the process and decide on their course of action (Rational Choice

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While a few theories are not as regular, others have developed and are utilized as a part of numerous criminal reviews today. Cutting edge criminologists consolidate the most important aspects of sociology, psychology, anthropology, and biological theories to advance their comprehension of criminal behavior. Rational choice theory, psychological, biological, and strain theory are used to analyze the

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Offenders don’t realize the reality when reentering society because they aren’t giving the necessaries resources. The reality is how the criminal justice system have label them. When an offender is release from prison their life is over due to the way the criminal justice have develop. Many would concur that there is a problem with strength based. As clearly demonstrated there will always be pros and cons towards an issue.

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While some theories are not as common, others have evolved and are used in many criminal studies today. Cutting edge criminologists consolidate the most important aspects of sociology, psychology, anthropology, and biological theories to advance their comprehension of criminal behavior. Rational choice theory, psychological, biological, and strain theory are used to analyze the facts of Hernandez’s crime. Biological Theory is

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Within the past couple of decades, criminologists have developed different criminological theories that apply to the social behaviors and decisions of criminals. One of the earliest theories developed regarding criminality is the rational choice theory, in which describes the rationalization of determining if the rewards from committing the crime outweigh the consequences. In Scarver’s case, his decision to engage in criminal activities outweighed the potential consequences, or the other alternatives if he did not engage in such criminal activities. In addition to the rational choice theory, Scarver’s criminality can be related to the social disorganization theory, which describes the influence of one’s social and physical environment on one’s decision to commit a crime. Lastly, the strain theory can be related to Scarver’s criminality as well, as it is used to describe an individual who lacks the means to obtain such goals, and aspirations, so therefore, he or she engages in criminal activities to acquire the goals.

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In the first studies, sex offenders’ decision-making was investigated using the rational choice approach.

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It’s learned reactions and adaptations that help people make their decisions whether that be for better or for

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The classical theory of crime says that people make rational choices when they commit crimes. “Individuals have the will and rationality to act according to their own will and desires. Individuals will calculate the rationality of the crime based on the benefits of the crime versus the consequences of the crime” (Robinson, 2014). This theory discuses that how people think about the negative and positive outcomes before they commit crime. Even though they realize it is not right, they still continue to commit illegal offence because they believe that what they are doing is for the greater

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Criminology is the wider area that is used to evaluate the context of crime. The scientific study of criminals and crime is used for evaluating the basis and reasons of crime done by people. It makes use of different theories and school of thought in order to analyse the reasons behind criminal activities. The main purpose of this paper is to consider one criminology theory or school of thought. The criminology theory that is used for analysing the requirements of this paper is rational choice theory.

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There are many possible motives for committing a crime, ranging from the need to survive to committing the crime for the “fun” of it. One’s personality, environment, and other factors can motivate them to commit a crime. Depending on someone’s personality, the environment they’re in, or the situation that they’re in, someone can have a different amount of willingness to commit a crime There are plenty of different situations that would urge someone to commit a crime more than other situations do. Situations in which one is struggling to survive or has been attacked by another are especially motivating when it comes to committing a crime.

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Crime causation is the study of the reasons why individuals commit crimes and covers four main theories. The strain theory suggests individuals commit crimes to relieve psychological strain. The social learning theory that suggests individuals commit crimes as a product of their environment. Where control theory suggests that individuals chose an easier alternative to what their environment provides. Lastly, is the anomie theory, a social context where an individual commits a crime in response to alienation from society.

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This rational choice perspective focused on the hedonistic calculus which is the assumption that people are rational and will therefore make decisions in order to maximize pleasure and minimize pain (Alexandra Lysova Lecture 3). From here, deterrence theory was born which then lead to Cornish and Clarkes rational choice theory. This new rational choice theory has many similarities with deterrence theory which is why many people refer to rational choice theory as the new model of deterrence (Tibbetts and Hemmens 2015). Cornish and Clarkes rational choice theory first developed from economists on the bases that all people are rational decision makers who will weigh the cost and benefits when it comes to committing a crime, does the reward outweigh the risk and possible punishment (Alexandra Lysova Lecture 3).

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There are numerous theories that have evolved over time to explain why crimes are committed. These theories include anomie, strained, social control, and rational choice theory. In this research paper I will be focusing on rational choice theory. Majority of these theories focus on a macro-level, which is the largest, meanwhile some focus on a micro-level, the smaller level, depending on the circumstances. The purpose of this paper is to synthesize how rational choice theory is integrate with different crimes.

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3. The Enlightenment, 299-317 A common notion during the Enlightenment was the idea of “opposition to authority” (Gaarder, 1994). They held that notion because many of the philosophers from this time visited England which was more broadminded when in comparison to their original place of origin, France. Many of these philosophers felt that it was important to question all truths and find answers to every question.

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Deterrence Theory A special case of the rational choice theory is the deterrence theory, which emphasizes the costs of legal sanctions (Liska & Messner, 1999). While the rational choice theory was initially applied to the field of economics, and considered all costs, the deterrence theory was initially applied to the field of law and only considered legal costs. Accordingly, as a deterrent for committing crime, increasing the severity of punishment, increasing the certainty of punishment, and increasing the celerity of punishment will all increase the legal costs for committing crime and, consequently, decrease the benefits versus cost ratio. Furthermore, there is a specific deterrence and a general deterrence (Barkan, 2006).

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847 Words | 4 Pages

Rational choice theory (RCT) assumes individuals choose to commit crime based on rational/logical thinking and calculations (maximizing profits and minimizing losses). An offender, such as a burglar, might plan to rob a home while the family is away (high profit from stealing and little chance of getting caught). To believe that this is the only reason why criminals offend is preposterous and myopic; it is only a small sliver of the basis of crime. Rational choices are implemented by offenders (sometimes), but other causes include but are not limited to: economic disparity, substance abuse, family factors, biological factors/genetic influences, mental illnesses, opportunity (easy target to hit), perceptions of the punishment (is the offender

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