 Biological Theories : psychological theories, sociological theories

o Social disorganization theory

o Strain theory
o Social control theory
o Learning theory
o Labeling theory
 Islamic Perspective on deviance and crime

Rational Choice Theory of Crime:

Definition
Rational choice theory in criminology views man as a reasoning actor who weighs means and
ends, cost and benefits, and makes a rational choice. The foundation of rational choice theory is
behavioral choices, that includes the choice of the person to engage in criminal activity based on
intent/premedication and that the possible benefits outweigh the risk.

Rational Choice as a Criminology Theory

Rational choice theory was first introduced by economists and later adopted by criminology
studies in the late 1970s. Rational choice theory in criminology grew out of same utilitarian
philosophy as deterrence associated with the classical school of criminology developed by
Cesare Beccaria. Working from the classical school of criminology and the theoretical
framework of utilitarianism Jeremy Bentham discuss the concept of calculus of pleasure or
hedonistic calculus. Hedonistic calculus states that people will weigh the possible pleasures from
committing the crime against the possible pain from punishment, and act accordingly.
Theory in Practice

A good example of rational choice theory is white-collar crime. An investment banker decides to
skim money from his clients’ accounts and hides the loss, and then personally takes the money to
fund his/her lavish lifestyle. The white-collar criminal premediated and weighing the options of
his/her choice, decides the personal benefit of stealing money outweighs any chance of his/her
theft being discovered.

Another example would be a burglary with two offenders deciding to work together to plan to
break into a home at night when the family is on vacation. The burglars made a decision by
planning and carrying out the burglary by weighing the means and benefits, and making a
decision to violate the law despite the punishment if caught.

Rational choice theory implies that criminals are rational in their decision-making, and despite
the consequences, that the benefits of committing the crime outweigh the punishment.

http://criminal-justice.iresearchnet.com/criminology/theories/rational-choice-theory/

Introduction
 crime is due to a collection of personality traits that incline a person to
commit crimes (Wilson & Herrnstein, 1985);
 that crime occurs when people are led by their culture to want something,
such as monetary success, but are denied access to the means to achieve
these things (Agnew, 1992);
 crime occurs when people get socialized into cultures, subcultures, or groups that either actively
promote or at least openly tolerate criminal behavior (Nisbett & Cohen, 1996).

 A deterrence, or rational choice theory of crime (let’s call it RCT), is none of these things,
and because deterrence theory can be considered a subtype of RCT, this research paper’s
discussion will mostly focus on the latter.
 Deterrence can be thought of as a subtype of RCT because they share a great deal of
common conceptual ground, with RCT being a more general theory than deterrence.
Deterrence theory argues that criminal acts are inhibited or deterred because of the
punishment that can be associated with crime (Andenaes, 1974; Zimring & Hawkins,
1973). For example, when someone thinks about committing a crime but refrains from
doing so because he fears that he might get arrested, that person is said to be deterred by
the fear of a sanction or penalty, in this case, an arrest. This is an example of general
deterrence.
 General deterrence occurs when someone who has not yet been punished refrains from
committing a crime because of the punishment he or she may receive should he or she get
caught (Andenaes, 1974). In this case, what deters the would-be offender from committing
 crime is the fear of a formal or legal punishment. When someone just released from prison
contemplates committing another crime but refrains from doing so because she fears going
back to prison if she is arrested and convicted, she too is said to be deterred by the fear of
a sanction; in this case, the sanction is imprisonment, which is another form of formal or
legal punishment. This is an example of what is called specific deterrence (Andenaes,
1974).
