One Period Decision-Making Model Of Crime

Answer: Yes, I do believe that gender bias is a problem in our nation’s courthouses because as a member of the army I know firsthand what it is and how it belittles the weaker sex. Society cannot actually handle true equal treatment without the natural drive to want to protect the weaker sex.From my research it is proven that 98 percent of most men admit that they feel a drive to protect woman, even if it is not asked of them. I’m sure this is taken into

Rational choice theories are among the fastest growing theories in social science today. Many sociologists and political scientists defend the claim that rational choice theory can provide the basis for a unified and comprehensive theory of social behavior. What distinguishes rational choice theory from other forms of theory is that it denies the existence of any kinds of action other than the purely rational and calculative. All social action can be seen as rationally motivated, as instrumental action, however much of it may appear to be irrational or non-rational. I believe that the Rational Choice Theory would be most beneficial in the reduction or control of crime.

The rational choice theory gives insight in to why otherwise law abiding citizens would commit crime. Most burglars do not burglarize because they want something specific from the victim's property nor are they saving the cash proceeds for a long-term goal. They burglarize because they need the money right now to pay off bills, buy food and clothes for their family or to purchase alcohol and illegal drugs. Most burglars would turn to making an honest living, but, even that does not meet their immediate desires for cash. Nor would the earned wages support their lifestyles. (Wright & Decker, 1994).

Rational choice theory is predicated on the idea that crime is a matter of choice in which a potential criminal weighs the cost of committing an act against the potential benefits that might be gained (Siegel, 2011, p. 84). James Q. Wilson expands on this decision in his book Thinking About Crime, stating that “people who are likely to commit crime are unafraid of breaking the law

The Becker model gives the mathematical formula, shown below, for determining costs which includes the variables mentioned earlier

The issue of whether decision making by criminals is a rational process is a heated topic of discussion when one asserts that crime is the role of choice. Before the classical school of criminology, crime was thought to be the product of the paranormal occurrence of demons, witches, ghouls, and other creatures. The time prior to the classical school of criminology, called the preclassical era, is divided in two parts. Before the time of state intervention into private matters, each individual dealt with violations of their rights. This was a problem because of the continuous cycle of violence being perpetuated. Soon the State (and even the Church) took on the task of dispensing law and order to the masses of the Middle Ages. This led to a

A limitation of rational choice theory is that the theory assumes criminals have enough information to make the most rational choice but “people do not always have all of the information they need to make informed decisions, and even if they do, may not have the capacity to optimally process the information.” (Brown, Esbense, and Geis, 2015; 195) Consequently, when trying to deter criminals, you must try to ensure that criminals have

Rational Choice Theory attempts to provide proof that offenders make a rational choice to commit crime by measuring all possibilities and outcomes instead of influence as many other theory explained. According to the RCT, Offenders are usually searching for advantage from their antisocial behavior. Rational Choice Theory also adopts that regardless acknowledged the possibility of going to prison offenders have consciously made the decision to commit the crime. Rational choice theory does not take agree with the idea that offenders simply commit crime because they believe they won’t get caught. One example, which can be used by RCT, is a White collar crime; the individual calculates all the possibilities and decides to draw off money from

Becker continues on in his lecture to the topic of crime and punishment. He notes how crime is not a result of mental illness or social repression but is actually a rational action that many people participate in, though not in the degree of what is conventionally viewed as criminal. Many people weigh the costs and benefits of committing a crime and when the benefit of committing outweigh the costs of conviction and how serious the crime is. Despite the rationality of criminal activities, certain acts are labelled as particularly heinous their participants are typically marked as risk-loving. Becker notes that it would be economically optimal if federal spending “would balance the reduced spending on police and courts from lowering the probability of conviction against the preference of risk-preferring criminals for a lesser certainty of punishment” (42). There is a specific economic need to reduce crime- as eradicating it is nearly impossible in Becker’s eyes-as crime is described as rent-seeking in that it does not generate any economic surplus or any gain and the weapons and plans that sprout from crime are at their roots wholly unproductive to

When people think of criminals, some think of serial killers who calculate their every move when targeting their victim and how they plan to keep them from being discovered. Some think thief’s who find a person on the street to whom they think can be their victim. The fact is that criminals are not irrational. They plan their crimes just like people plan a vacation; everything is calculated to whatever item or person of interest and the location where the crime is going to be committed. One important theory that identifies the criminals thought process when wanting to commit a crime is the Rational Choice Theory (RCT). This theory rationalized the cost versus benefit of committing a crime. If the crime is too risky to commit, then the criminal will usually find another victim or item that they want. Criminals will most likely go for the opportunity if it presents itself. For example, if a criminal is in

Deterrence theory of crime is a method in which punishment is used to dissuade people from committing crimes. There are two types of deterrence: general and specific. General deterrence is punishment to an individual to stop the society as a whole from committing crimes. In other word, it is using the punishment as an example to “scare” society from precipitating in criminal acts. Under general deterrence, publicity is a major part of deterrence. Crime and their punishments being showing in the media or being told person to person can be used to deter crime. Specific deterrence is punishment to the individual to stop that individual from committing other crimes in the future. This type of deterrence is used to teach the individual a

The social learning theory says that people learn their behaviors from those they associate with, meaning if a person’s best friend is a “good” person, that behavior will rub off onto that person. According to social learning theory, people engage in crime because of their association with others who engage in crime (Crossman). Their criminal behavior is reinforced and they learn beliefs that are favorable to crime (Crossman). They essentially have criminal models that they associate with (Crossman). As a consequence, these individuals come to view crime as something that is desirable, or at least justifiable in certain situations (Crossman).

The view of my classmate was that demonic and classical theories addressed crime with methods that were brutal and torturous and I responded that the method of the deterrence theory was similar in that it wants severe, and swift punishment in accordance to the crime committed but without the brutal and torturous treatment.

Crime is a serious issue in the United States. Research shows that crime is running rampant and its effects are felt in all socioeconomic levels. Each economic class has its own crime rates and types of crime. It is a mistake to think of crime as a lower class problem. Crime is a problem for all people. The lower classes commit crime for survival while the upper class commits crime to supplement capital and maintain control.

Crime is something that impacts everyone whether directly as a victim or indirectly through societal and economical cost. By understanding the causes of criminal behavior it may be possible to change some of the factors and eliminate some criminal behavior. However, it is not simple, and understanding the behavior of the criminal does not necessarily eliminate criminal behavior. The roots of criminal behavior have been heavily debated. During the eighteenth century social philosophers such as Jeremy Bentham (1748-1833) began to embrace the human behavior was a result of rational thought process. People choose to act when, after weighing the cost and benefits will bring them an increase in pleasure and a reduction of pain. It stands to believe that criminal behavior could be eliminated or controlled if law violators could endure the pain of the punishment exceeding the benefit of the crime.