Rational Choice Theory Flashcards
Choice theory
Crime is seen as a rational choice
Behaviour can be deterred through fear of punishment
Breaks from traditional pre-classical approaches
Easily adapted to crime control programs
Modern Choice Theory
Criminals:
seek excitement and thrills
Have a low stake in conformity (little to lose)
Are risk-taking
Many are rational and will be deterred by severe punishment
Concept of Rational Choice
Crime is a result of careful thought and planning
Criminals choose crime based on
- Personal needs (addiction)
- Situational Factors (Natural disasters)
Crime depends on:
- Chances of getting caught
- Anticipated punishment
- Need for gain
Offence specifications
Offenders are selective about specific crimes (opportunity, guardianship)
Some crimes are more attractive than others (what are the advantages/disadvantages of a particular type of crime)
Offender Specific
Offenders evaluate their own skills for crime (white-collar crime)
Criminals and fears. Not all will commit just any crime
Crime is an event criminality is a personal trait
Structuring Criminality
Personal factors affecting criminal behaviour
- Perception of future earnings from crime
- Preception of legitimate income opportunity
- Knowledge of “successful” criminal
- Experience and perception of risk of getting caught (learning)
What does the decision to commit a crime depend on
The location - the availability to avoid detection
The target - no one home, cash in till
The available means and techniques - skills and tools needed for the job
Cornish and Clarke’s “Crime as a rational choice”
Do not assume that people are perfectly or fully rational
-Call this bounded rationality (it recognizes that not everyone is rational
The costs of crime include both formal and informal sanctions and “moral costs”
Deterrence theories focus mainly on formal sanctions
Rational choice theories also recognize the estimation of benefits more than deterrence theories
Criticism
Criminals often commit crimes with little planning and little consideration for costs and benefits and not in their self-interest - They act impulsively
However Cornish and Clarke argue that even impulsive acts reveal some consideration for the costs and benefits of the act
Ague that it is necessary to adopt a crime-specific focus
- Should focus on particular types of crime rather than examining all crime in general
Wright and Decker: Armed Robbers in Action
Armed robbery most often is defined as the use of a weapon to take property by force or threat of force
The decision to commit robbery arises in the face of what offenders perceive to be a pressing need for cash
Some committed robberies even if they had enough money at the time because the opportunity was too good to pass up
Most spent their money on desperate partying
The decision to commit robbery was generally motivated by the need for money
