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Rational Choice Theory: A Response
With the exception of those who happen to be mentally ill, most people exhibit a rational mode of thinking. That means that before choosing a course of action, most individuals take into consideration all the relevant variables and only act if it is reasonable to do so.
According to the rational choice theory, most of those who break the law are rational thinking persons who are more likely than not to make calculated choices prior to committing a crime. As Siegel (2010, p. 85), points out, "before choosing to commit a crime, reasoning criminals carefully select targets, and their behavior is systematic and selective." An individual is hence less likely to commit a crime if chances of detection and/or apprehension are particularly high. This effectively means that any sane law breaker carefully considers the costs and benefits of each alternative before settling on that course of action which presents the least challenges. This is more so the case when it comes to...
Here, an intruder seeks to identify specific vulnerabilities which make a specific home a perfect target. In that regard, evidence of an alarm system and a fierce looking dog in the compound are likely to deter even a determined burglar. While evidence of a functional alarm system in this case increases the chances of the robber being detected, a fierce or mean-looking dog enhances the chances of the intruder being apprehended and/or mauled. In such a case, a burglar is more likely to look for a softer target. This effectively supports Siegel's assertion that the behavior of criminals is not only selective but also systematic.
With a proper understanding of the rational choice theory, it is possible for individuals to take appropriate measures to deter would be criminals especially when it comes to burglaries. As Hakim and Blackstone (1997, p. 61) point out, "interviewed burglars have stated that an alarm, a…
References
Hakim, S. & Blackstone, E.A. (1997). Securing Home and Business: A Guide to the Electronic Security Industry. Newton, MA: Butterworth-Heinemann.
Siegel, L.J. (2010). Criminology: The Core (4th ed.). Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning.
Criminology What was the "rational choice theory" of crime causation? The "rational choice theory" of crime causation holds that crime is consciously committed out of an intellectual desire to improve one's situation. Accordingly, the theory does not believe that delinquents are motivated through unconscious urges, but instead contends that people are goal-oriented. Another implication of the theory is that everyone, regardless of their neurological profile, has the ability to act in a
War is a necessary and inevitable. The question of whether it is justified is dependent on the conditions of each war individually, but the necessity and inevitability of armed conflict among human societies has been demonstrated consistently throughout history. Davidson and Lytle (1992) provide a strong argument in favor of this position with their description of the conditions surrounding the detonation of the atomic bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki to
Theoretical Evaluation Theory Evaluation The initial modern clarification of crime is known as "classical hypothesis" (Cullen and Agnew 2011). This hypothesis was produced in response to the malefic, irrational, and barbaric frameworks of criminal equity that existed in Europe in the 1700s. The laws were frequently arbitrary; judges were corrupt; penal awards for the same wrongdoing varied broadly; and disciplines were at times very cruel, causative of extreme physical abuse and often
Crime Theories Psychological theories of criminal behavior focus on the individual, rather than on contextual factors (as sociological theories of crime do) or on biological factors (such as genetics). Personality, traits, and cognitions are all covered under the rubric of psychological theories of crime. One of the prevailing and most widely accepted psychological theory of crime is rational choice theory. Rational choice theory " is perhaps the most common reason why
Criminology Application of Schools of Criminal Thought Within the classical school of thought (rational choice framework from economics), the charges against the perpetrator would be considered both logical and effective. Under classical thought, criminology holds that punishment is an effective deterrent to crime, and that punishment should be rationally aligned with the severity of the crime. The positivist school of thought (functionalist or biological, psychological, and sociological framework) would consider the
Therefore, in response to criminal actions, the rules and laws of a system are developed. It is their presence that represents the glue of the social parts. One shortcoming of this theory however is the fact that it cannot explain the motivation behind the actual existence of criminal behavior. It tends to perceive the society as a whole, through statistics and factual dates and tries to predict its evolution. Durkheim