The rational choice theory and its application to crime
The rational choice theory is frequently applied to understanding and simulating economic and human behavior. According to this theory, people are most likely to decide to take a course of action that will give them the most pleasure. This theory contends that it is fundamental to human nature to take advantage of every circumstance. The rational choice theory has been used to simulate human decision-making, which can have both positive and negative effects. The participation of the rational choice theory in poor behaviors like crime may be to blame. The rational choice theory's application to crime is examined in this essay.
Explaining crime with the rational choice theory
In criminology, humans' desire to meet their desired needs illegally causes crime. The rational choice theory assumes that the offender makes a rational choice before committing a crime. The occurrence of most criminal activities can be explained using the rational choice theory, however, crimes stimulated by rational choice must satisfy certain assumptions. The offender must be seeking to maximize individual gain from the crime, while avoiding loss such as imprisonment. The offender must be driven by personal interests or must be seeking to advance their personal goals. Crimes such as robbery or money laundering are motivated by expected optimum benefits. Some crimes such as terrorism and murder may sometimes fail to meet the assumptions of the rational choice theory. These crimes are not driven by personal gains, and the offender fails to meet the optimum personal benefit when they are imprisoned or killed.
Exceptions to the rational choice theory in crime
The crime that leads to the offenders' loss or those that are not driven by desire is not a product of rational choice (Padowitz, 2017). Radicalized terrorist members who are forced to be suicide bombers through religious teaching or by coercion commit crime without rational choices. Also, serial killers who kill aimlessly with no motivation for their actions lack rational choice to do so. Crimes that result in the offender's loss, such as long-term imprisonment, cannot be explained using rational choice theory.
Rational considerations in criminal behavior
Criminal offenders choose their behavior based on rational considerations of cost, gains, and loss. For crimes that can be explained using the rational choice theory, the rational offenders must gain benefits that outweigh the punishment. Not all crimes result from the rational decision and in most instances, crimes result in a net loss for the offender.
Reference
Padowitz, K. (2017). Rational Choice as a Theory of Crime. Psychology of Law and Criminal Behavior. Retrieved from http://www.psychology-criminalbehavior- law.com/2017/01/rational-choice-as-a-theory-of-crime/
