Rational Choice Theory Essay - 1726 Words

Rational choice theory, also known simply as choice theory, is the assessment of a potential offender to commit a crime. Choice theory is the belief that committing a crime is a rational decision, based on cost benefit analysis. The would-be offender will weigh the costs of committing a particular crime: fines, jail time, and imprisonment versus the benefits: money, status, heightened adrenaline. Depending on which factors out-weigh the other, a criminal will decide to commit or forgo committing a crime. This decision making process makes committing a crime a rational choice. This theory can be used to explain why an offender will decide to commit burglary, robbery, aggravated assault, or murder. It is 9:00am on a warm July morning.†¦show more content†¦Having her address he began to case her home. For several weeks he watched her comings and goings. Based on his surveillance he was able to determine that the homeowner leaves everyday at 8:45am to bring her children to schoo l and does not return until 9:45am. He was able to determine that the rear entry was less visible to neighbor’s which is why he decided to use the rear door. John clearly demonstrates rational choice based on situational risks he observed. John decides to act when he knows the homeowner will not be home and the risks are low. He made it a point to plan his attack which is also explained as a rational choice. Rational choice theory involves both offense-specific and offender-specific crimes. Offense-specific crime is crime committed when an offender considers all parts of the actual act before they decide to commit the wrongdoing. The offender would weigh police presence in that neighborhood, if the home is well protected, will people be in the home, ease of getting in and getting out, or if stolen property will be valuable for sale, etc. Offender-specific crime is when the potential offender determines if they have what it take to commit the crime based on self interest. The y only think about their personal experience and not particularly about the offense itself. Offender-specific crime is when an offender considers;Show MoreRelatedRational And Rational Choice Theory3362 Words   |  14 PagesRational choice theory posits that any individual makes behavioral choices because they logically consider any potentially criminal situation, weigh the possible benefits versus the possible costs, and make a decision to act based on whether or not the benefits outweigh the risks. Rational choice theory differs from other philosophies in that it â€Å"denies the existence of any kinds of action other than the purely rational and calculative. All social action, it is argued, can be seen as rationally motivatedRead MoreThe Rational Choice Theory1728 Words   |  7 PagesUniversity, CJ102 Criminology Unit Five Midterm Project The Rational Choice theory approach has been used by social and political scientists to put some type of meaning of why humans behave in a certain way. In recent years, rational choice theory has been widely used in other disciplines such as sociology, political science, and anthropology. It has gained influence in politics and sociology over the past thirty years. This choice theory stressed the role of knowledgeable self interest in the decisionRead MoreTheories Of Rational Choice Theory1766 Words   |  8 PagesIntroduction When a natural scientist is interested in how something works, he usually observes, then constructs a theory which helps to interpret what he sees. Following the building of a model, the results of the experiment tell whether the theory correctly explained the phenomenon in question. Even in the case of the physical sciences, the construction of a model requires assumptions to be made, leading to the model omitting certain, preferably unimportant effectors. The same is true about modelsRead More Rational Choice Theory Essay1246 Words   |  5 PagesThere are three main points that are reinforced in rational choice theory (Cornish and Clarke, 1986). First, it may work better or worse for different types of crime, yet it is thought that there are rational choices in every type of crime even impulsive and pathologic crimes. 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While economic theories look at production, distribution and consumption of goods and services, Rational Choice theorists argue that these same principles can be used to understand human interaction where using time, informationRead MoreRational Choice Theory Of Criminal Behavior Essay1617 Words   |  7 Pagescase the choices that criminals make brings them pleasure and adrenaline. Criminal choices can be controlle d by fear of punishment, but not all the time. The crime will be limited when the benefits are reduced and the costs increase. Rational choice theory is a perspective that holds criminality in the result of conscious choice. Not to mention, that it is predicted that individuals choose to commit crime when the benefits outweigh the costs of disobeying the law. 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Finally, it will either agree/disagree with someone’s thought on deterrence and how it does not work and is a waste of time to study. Deterrence and rational choice are two different things. Deterrence