Contemporary Rational Choice Theory

Rational choice theory was developed by Italian social thinker Cesar Beccaria’s utilitarian approach that influenced the criminal justice system its roots are in classical criminology. In the 1960’s economist Garry Becker applied his views on rational behavior and human capital to criminal behavior. He concluded that except for few mentally ill people, criminals behave in a predictable way when deciding to commit crime. They weigh what they expect to gain against the risk they must undergo and the cost they may incur like jail or prison. Political scientists James Q. Wilson observed that people who are likely to commit crime are unafraid of breaking the law because they value the excitement and thrills of crime and are willing to take grater
chances then the average person. Contemporary rational choice theory says that law violation behavior is the product of careful thought and planning.
Contemporary rational choice assumes that people are self-interested and will be willing to violate the law after considering both personal factors and situational factors. One sub-theory of rational choice is general deterrence it is based on Beccaria’s equation that the grater the severity, the certainty and speed of legal sanctions the less inclined people will be to commit
crime. Not only the actual chance of punishment but also the perception that punishment will be forthcoming. But the likelihood of punishment has little effect on crime rates if criminals believe that they have a small chance of being punished, because criminals are rational thinkers if they can be convinced that crime will lead to punishment they will be deterred. The different types of economic class and types of offenders can be more deterrable then others. The most significant deterrence can be achieved on petty criminals because people who commit less crime may view illegal acts less rewarding while more experienced offenders are less likely to fear punishment. Which is where another sub-theory of rational choice called specific deterrence comes into play. Specific deterrence says that criminal sanctions should be so powerful that offenders will never repeat their criminal acts and those caught and punished will see greater risk than those who escaped punishment. Research by Benjamin Meade found that inmates serving five or more years are less likely to commit crime again then those serving less. The last sub-theory is incapacitation winch is the idea that keeping offenders on confinement will element the risk of them committing more crime.
Trait theory is the view that criminality is caused by abnormal biological or psychological traits.
Trait theorists believe that crime producing interactions involve both personal traits and environmental factors. Contemporary trait theory is the belief that no one biological or psychological trait is responsible for criminality theorists instead believe that everyone is unique and there must be a different reason for people’s behavior. People living in disadvantaged communities may be at higher risk to crime but the risk is significantly increased if they also bear a genetic makeup that makes them vulnerable to crime producing influences. There are two contemporary views as to how crime producing interactions unfold, on is called individual vulnerability model which assumes there is a direct link between traits and crime and that some people are vulnerable to commit crime from birth. The other view is differential susceptibility model which is the belief that there is an indirect association between traits and crime. Biological theories are biochemical, neurological, genetic, and evolutionary. Biochemical states that crime is a function of diet, vitamin intake, hormonal imbalance, or food allergies. Neurological theory is that criminals and delinquents often suffer brain impairments. Genetic is that criminal traits and predispositions are inherited, that the criminality of parents can predict the delinquency of children. Evolutionary says that as humans evolved traits and
characteristics became ingrained and some traits make people aggressive and predisposed to commit crime. There are three main psychological theories the first is psychodynamic it says that the development of the unconscious personality in early childhood influences behavior for the rest of a person’s life and that criminals have weak egos and damaged personalities and that is why they commit crime. The second is behavioral which is that people commit crime when theta model their behavior after people they see being rewarded for the same acts and that behavior is reinforced by rewards and changed by punishment. The last one is cognitive where individual reasoning processes influences behavior and reasoning is influenced by the way people perceive their environment.
Social structure theories assert that the disadvantaged economic class position is a primary cause of crime. The theories state that neighborhoods which are “lower class” create forces of strain, frustration and disorganization that create crime. The different social structure theories are social disorganization theory, strain theory, and cultural deviance. Social disorganization is the thought that crime thrives in disorganized areas where institutions of social control have broken down and no longer preform their functions. Where there is high drop out and unemployment rates, low income and high number single parent households. Youths in these areas are more likely to join gangs as a result they cannot avoid the pull of antisocial behavior. Strain theory sees crime as a function of the conflict between people’s goals and the means available to obtain them. Cultural deviance theory combines elements of both strain and social disorganization theory. Criminal behavior is an expression of conformity to lower-class subculture values and traditions that often are at odds with conventional society.
Social process theory views criminality as a function of people's interactions with various organizations, institutions, and processes in society; people in all walks of life have the potential to become criminals if they maintain destructive social relationships. Social process theory has three main branches; one social learning theory stresses that people learn how to commit crimes; two social control theory analyzes the failure of society to control criminal tendencies; and labeling theory maintains that negative labels produce criminal careers. The social learning branch of social process theory suggests that people learn criminal behavior much as they learn conventional behavior. Differential association theory, formulated by Edwin Sutherland, holds that criminal behavior is learned from interactions with others and learning the behaviors occurs within intimate personal groups. Differential reinforcement theory is where behavior is reinforced by being rewarded or punished while interacting with others. Gresham Sykes and David Matza's theory of neutralization indicates criminals learn to neutralize conventional values so they can engage in criminal behavior. Social control theory maintains that all people have the potential to become criminals but that their bonds to conventional society prevent them from violating the law. Social bond theory, developed by Travis Hirshi, containing elements of belief, commitment, attachment, and involvement, and weakened bonds allow young people to behave anti-socially. Social reaction or labeling theory holds that criminality is promoted by becoming negatively labeled by significant others. Research on labeling theory, however, has not supported its major premises and critics have charged the theory lacks credibility as a description of crime causation.
Developmental theories view criminality as a dynamic process, influenced by social experiences as well as induvial characteristics. There are three sub-theories, life course, propensity, and trajectory. Life course theory focuses on changes in criminality over the life course brought about by shifts in experience and life events. Propensity theory is the view that a stable unchanging characteristic makes some people commit crime. Early social control and proper parenting can reduce criminal propensity. Trajectory theory suggests there are multiple trajectories into a criminal career. There are subgroups within a population that follow different developmental paths to and away from criminal careers. While some people may begin early in antisocial activities and demonstrate a tendency for crime, others start later in life and are influenced by life circumstances.