1. Choice Theory
Chapter 4
SOC 112

2. Rational Choice Crime: decision to violate law
- greed / revenge / anger / lust / jealousy / etc.
Development
- rooted in Classical School
- Cesare Beccaria (late 1700s)
- fair / certain punishment
- crime / punishment: proportional
- marginal deterrence
Classical Theory

3. Choice, cont. - criminals choose - pleasure / pain principle
a. Jeremy Bentham (early 1800s)
- popularized
- Utilitarianism
b. Punishment
- harmful / existence justified
c. Four objectives:

4. Choice, cont. i. Prevent all criminal offenses
ii. Not prevent / convince criminal offenders to commit lesser
iii. Ensure criminal uses no more force than is necessary
iv. Prevent crime as cheaply as possible
d. Classical approach declined
Positivistic view
- gains mainstream acceptance

5. Choice, cont. Choice Theory emerges a. Public fear – mid 1970s
- rehabilitation failed
- crime increase
- prison violence
- media depictions
b. Rational criminals – late 1970s
- planning / fear punishment /
- deserve to be penalized

6. Choice, cont. c. Impact: crime control - tougher laws
- mandatory sentencing
- increase prison population
Concepts
- factors considered: personal / situational
a. Offense-specific crime:
- react selectively
- characteristics

7. Concepts, cont. b. Offender-specific: - not automatons - random acts
c. Crime versus criminality
- crime: an event
- criminality: personal trait
Structuring criminality
- personal factors condition people

8. Concepts, cont. a. Economic opportunity b. Learning / experience
c. Knowledge of techniques
Structuring crime
- rationally choose
- where / when
a. Choosing the crime (specialists)

9. Concepts, cont. b. Time and place (select) c. Target (vulnerability)
Is crime rational?
- rational / objective thought
a. Theft
- unplanned: involve risk assessment
- boosters?
- avoiding detection

10. Is Crime Rational? - permeable neighborhood? b. Drug use
- decision making
- like a business
c. Violence
- vulnerable victims
- careful planning
- avoid detection
- reinforcing

11. Rational, cont. Eliminating crime a. Situational crime prevention
(1) Targets guarded
(2) Defensible space
(3) Specific crimes
(4) Increase efforts
- reduce opportunities

12. Rational, cont. (5) Reduce rewards - value of crime (6) Increase risk
- crime is risky
(7) Increase guilt
- embarrass offender
(8) Costs / benefits

13. Rational, cont. (a) Diffusion - prevent one / prevent another
(b) Discouragement
- target area / surrounding area
(c) Displacement
- effort in one / send to another
(d) Extinction
- short term

14. General Deterrence Threat of punishment - influences / controls
- people’s fear
a. Certainty of punishment
- “tipping point”
- crime persists
b. Crime continues
- small chance of arrest
- reluctance to make arrest

15. Deterrence, cont. - lenient punishment c. Increase police activity
- possible
- crackdowns
- problem solving / community improvement
d. Severity of punishment
- certain crimes
- not all criminal activity

16. Deterrence, cont. e. Capital punishment - might actually increase
- states: no difference
- increase executions = reduce murder rate
f. Informal sanctions
- greater deterrent impact
- disapproval / stigma / anger / indignation
g. Shame / humiliation
- powerful deterrent

17. Deterrence, cont. - public humiliation - effect varies
h. General deterrence rationality
- need
- greed
- severity / speed
2. Specific deterrence (special / particular)
- powerful sanctions / never repeat
- deter crime?

18. Deterrence, cont. (1) Majority not deterred
(2) Defiance / not deterrence
j. Incapacitation
- reduce crime
- other factors
(1) Teenage population
(2) Mandatory sentencing
(3) Economic health
(4) Gun laws

19. Deterrence, cont. (5) Drug epidemic (6) Aggressive policing
- logic behind:
(1) Little evidence
(2) Experienced inmates
(3) Teens / young adults
(4) Past crime age
(5) Expensive
(6) Accelerate upon release

20. Deterrence, cont. k. Selective incapacitation
- chronic career criminal
- “Three strikes”
(1) Age out soon
(2) Severe sentences
(3) Increased costs