SOCL 4461 Chapter : 4461 Notes 2
Document Summary
Rational choice theory posits that crime is a rational decision to violate any law and is made for a variety of reasons, including greed, revenge, need, anger, lust, jealousy, thrill-seeking, or vanity. People choose actions based on whether they produce pleasure and help them avoid pain: ex) decision to skip class or not, deciding what to eat, etc. Free will: choose to do right or wrong thing. Rational: use cost-benefit analysis to justify actions. Find out what to do and what not to do: knowledge criminal techniques: must know how to open safes or hotwire a car. General deterrence: crime rates are influenced and controlled by the threat or perception of the application of punishment, perception and deterrence, certainty of punishment and deterrence, severity of punishment and deterrence, speed (celerity) of punishment and deterrence. Specific deterrence: crime rates rely on how punishment is applied, criminal sanctions should be so powerful that known criminals will never repeat their criminal acts.
