Week 3: Reviving Classical Theory Flashcards
What are Classical Theories?
- Argue that individuals choose to engage in crime based on a rational consideration of the costs and benefits associated with crime
- Dominated theory during the late 1700s and much of the 1800s
What are Neo-Classical Theories?
- They see criminal behaviour as determined by a variety of individual and social factors
- These theories are deterministic theories and have dominated theory since the late 1800s
What is the Rebirth of Neo-Classical Theory?
- Resurgence in the late 1960s
- Measure certainty/severity of punishments
- Cross-sectional studies (individual perceptions of deterrence)
- Experiential effect (previous experience highly influences expectations of getting caught again)
What is the Deterrence Model of Crime?
- Argues that people are rational and pursue their own interests, attempting to maximize their pleasure and minimize their pain
What is the Impact of Deterrence Theory?
- Has had an enormous impact on contemporary crime control policies
- Became popular in the 1970s with Gary Becker’s work
What are the two types of Deterrence?
- Specific deterrence
- General deterrence
What is Specific Deterrence?
- Refers to the idea that punishment reduces the crime of those specific people who are punished
- Evidence has shown that increasing swiftness/celerity of punishments does not reduce subsequent offending
What does Braithwaite argue about Punishment?
- Punishments that isolate people from society increase future crime, while punishments that are reintegrative decrease future crime
What does Sherman argue about Punishment?
- Effect of punishments are dependent on the extent to which punishments are administered in a fair and respectful manner
Why would Punishment not Deter People from Future Crime?
- Many offenders may not be rational (often impulsive and high in negative emotionality)
- Punishment may increase strains, reduce social control, and increase the social learning of crime
What is Rational Choice Theory?
- Crime is seen as a rational choice
- Behaviour can be deterred through fear of punishment
What are the type of Criminals in Modern Choice Theory?
- Seek excitement and thrills
- Have low stake in conformity (little to lose)
- Are risk-taking
- Many are rational and will be deterred by severe punishment
What do Criminals Chose Crime Based on?
- Personal Needs (water, foot, etc.)
- Situational Factors (Natural disasters, etc.)
What does Crime Depend on?
- Chances of getting caught
- Anticipated punishment
- Need for gain
What are Offence Specific Situations?
- Offenders are selective about specific crimes (opportunity, guardianship, etc.)
- Some crimes are more attractive than others (what are advantages/disadvantages about particular type of crime?)
What are Offender Specific Situations?
- Offenders evaluate their own skills for crime
- For ex. white-collar crime, serial murder, money heist, terrorism, identity theft, etc.
What are Personal Factors Affecting Criminal Behaviour?
- Perception of future earnings from crime
- Perception of legitimate income opportunity
- Knowledge of “successful” criminals
- Experience and perception of risk of getting caught (learning)
- Personality and lifestyle (Less self-control, under stress)
What does the Decision to Commit Crime Depend on?
- The location (The ability to avoid detection)
- The target (No one home, cash in till, etc.)
- The available means and techniques (Skills and tools needed for the job)
What is Bounded Rationality?
- Rationality is constrained by the limits of time, ability and the availability of relevant information
What Impacts Rationality?
- Self-control, moral beliefs, strains, emotional states, associations with delinquent peers, etc.
What are Formal Costs of Crime?
- Legal criminal justice punishments
- The main focus of Deterrence theories
What are Informal Costs of Crime?
- Disapproval from parents, friends, etc.
What are the Moral Costs of Crime?
- Guilt and shame that one experience
What does Cornish and Clarke Argue about Crime as a Rational Choice?
- It is necessary to adopt a “crime-specific focus”
- Should focus on particular types of crime rather than examining all crime in general
- The costs and benefits associated with different crimes vary
What is Criminal Involvement?
- Heavily influenced by pervious learning and experience over substantial periods of time that are influenced by background factors (ex. Individual traits and social and demographic characteristics)
- Most crime theories focus on criminal involvement
What are Criminal Events?
- Heavily influenced by the immediate situation and the selection of a target based on costs and benefits
What was Wright and Decker’s Study on Armed Robbers in Action?
- A study with eight-six current armed robbery in St. Louis focus on their thoughts and actions during a robbery
Who were the Participants win Wright and Decker’s Study?
- Black
- Males and females
- Adults and juveniles
- Successful and unsuccessful
- Experienced and inexperienced
- High and low-rate offenders
What did Participants Spend their Money on in the Wright and Decker’s Study?
- Desperate partying (gambling, drug use, heavy drinking etc.)
- “Status enhancing” items (clothing to project an image)
- Daily living expenses (food, shelter, and child-care items, drugs, etc.)
What are the two Competing Demands that Robbers face when selecting a Target?
- Immediate action
- Caution in selection of target
What are the two Decisions that Robbers have to make when Searching for a Target?
- Suitable area
- Physical Barriers (for ex. access to car)
- Psychological Barriers (fear of unknown areas)
- Sporting venues and entertainment districts Brough more targets - Specific victim
- appear to have cash
- Often go after those at ATM’s
- Prefer whites (perceived to be less likely to resist)
What are the two Methods Robbers use to Approach a Victim?
- Stealth or speed to sneak up
- Lurk in background and strike out of nowhere so little chance of evasive action - Manage a normal appearance
- Fit into the social setting to get close enough for a surprise action
What are two Strategies Robbers used to Rob their Victims?
- Simply ordering victims to hand over possessions
- Taking possessions without waiting for what was offered (many preferred this for fear of victim had a concealed weapon)
What are the two Methods used by Robbers to Mentally Handle the Prospect of Getting Caught?
- Cognitive techniques to neutralize the capacity of threatened sanctions to deter an intended offence
- Refused to dwell on chance of being caught while committing the offence
What are the Criticism of Rational Choice Theory?
- Criminals often commit crime with little planning and little consideration for costs and benefits and not in their self-interest
- Cornish and Clarke argue that even impulsive acts reveal some consideration for the costs and benefits of the act
