Criminology Notes 2 9 Rational Choice Theory 02 18 2011 Actions align with preferences Bentham hedonistic calculus Gary Becker 1968 o Economist o Applied econ to criminology Cornish and Clark 1986 The Reasoning Criminal o Two Processes Criminal involvement Crime specific decisions o Actor creates and responds to situations o Offenders seek to benefit selves with crime Bounded Rationality o decisions made on faulty information o not assuming decisions based on accurate estimates of costs and benefits o Rational decisions aren t always good decisions Liquor store burglar Rational Choice Model Crime Involvement Gradual long term process 4 areas o Background factors o Previous learning experience o Needs o Evaluating solutions Becoming a burglar Solutions o Legitimate work gambling o Illegitimate burglary Explaining overall decision to enter into a life of crime RCM Crime Specific After a person has decided to engage in crime Specific decisions about crime incidents Situational factors impact these decisions Rational Choice Theory and Deterrence RCT also extension of Neoclassism Main differences o RCT mainly interested in INFORMAL punishments o RCT is an individual level theory perceptual RCT RAT and Deterrence often get lumped into one overall theoretical idea with many overlaps Testing RCT Usually scenario designs Ask What would you do Ask What would influence your decision o Drunk Driving Studies Shame is the deterrent Support RCT o Sexual Arousement Studies Aroused men more likely to say they would act in a sexually aggressive manner Emotions alter decision making Supports RCT Criticisms of RCT o Impulsive Research o Little evidence of pure rational decisions o Many criminals do not report planning crimes o They don t report that they considered consequences Future of RCT Levels of Rationality Questioning idea that every one has equal rationality Maybe only some people are deterrable Gambler s Fallacy o People reset perceptions of costs benefits o Don t get caught inflated sense of ability o Do get caught assume low likelihood of getting caught again Routine Activities Theory RAT Still a choice based theory Focus shifted towards the victims of crime o Late 70s o Socioeconomics more equal than ever o Crime rates sharply rising o NCVS popular for research Origins Lifestyle Theory 70s o Idea your lifestyle puts you at risk for victimization o Cohen and Felson RAT 1979 Expanded on lifestyle theory Crime is mundane everyday inevitable feature of social economic progress Motivated offenders Suitable targets absence of capable guardians Crime RAT Changes in everyday life o Tested theory on US data after WW2 o Women leaving household for college jobs Become suitable targets Empty houses become suitable targets o Merchandise got smaller o SUPPORTED RAT o To lower crime lower opportunities RAT and Deterrence o Human nature assumptions the same as deterrence and RCT o Focused on deterring future offending o Main differences Victim focused reduces the big three Test RAT o Using micro level data SUPPORTS o Most support in property crime o Now research links RAT with peers Provides opportunities to commit crime Provides audience get respect status Unstructured activities time for deviance Criticisms of RAT o Motivations taken as a given o Not interested in WHY people commit crime o Little to no emphasis on background factors o Ideas of suitable target and capable guardian vague o Not as convincing to explain violent crime intimate partner violence 02 18 2011 02 18 2011
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