There is a continuous need to understand and explain different criminal activities committed by individuals. This will allow professionals to make changes in the criminal justice policy as well as deal with crime. There are various reasons why people commit a crime. These reasons can be well explained using multiple criminology theories. This study mainly focuses on the rational choice theory.
The rational choice theory is one of the most unique criminology theories. The rational choice explains that a crime occurs after one carries out a cost-benefit analysis of criminal activity or other courses of action. A criminal only chooses an alternative that would yield the best outcome with minimum costs. According to the theory, an offender is not any different from a non-criminal since the conduct of people depends on choice, not compulsion. The reason a non-criminal would choose not to engage in crime is because a criminal activity would cost them more than a non-criminal activity. Deterrence doctrine is a subset of rational choice theory since it applies a philosophical concept that is also applicable in the rational choice theory. The fear of punishment in the deterrence theory and the expected reward in rational choice theory correlate (Loughran et al., 2016).
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Rational theory in criminology depends on three main assumptions. First, the rational nature of criminals, second the balance between cost and benefits and third, the underlying background that entails analysis of the cost and benefits of other factors. Rationality in the rational choice theory is reflected in a variety of situational and cognitive restraining factors. Offenders usually have a goal of benefiting themselves through a criminal activity. This goal involves making decisions and choices. Thus, the whole process is rational in itself but limited by some factors like time, personal ability and the accessibility of information concerning all the alternatives. Individuals are also pushed to make decisions basing on the expected value of choice. Commitment to crime can also be viewed as rational too. However, the rational choice theory does not presume that all criminal activities are usually done from an absolute reasonable point of view. There are different levels of rationality. The process of collecting information about behavior is long. Sometimes people do not easily take the shortest way possible. Therefore, there are dangers of making misinformed decisions about the actual cost and rewards of the alternatives. Moreover, the decision-making process depends on the understanding and perception of the decision maker. Thus, decisions are usually subjective. For instance, if a criminal thinks of stealing something in a particular place, the first step will be to analyze the chances of being arrested by trying to gather information on the total theft cases and the number of arrests. However, there is a high possibility that the figures of the total arrests and the number of theft cases could be inaccurate. Besides, there might be a misunderstanding on the police performance that might have led to the number of arrests. The objectivity and subjectivity of options applies to the benefits of both criminal and noncriminal activities (Loughran et al., 2016)
The persistence to commit crime relies on the balance between the reward and the costs incurred. A criminal activity that has proved to be more successful in acquiring more returns than another becomes more popular among offenders. A criminal will tend to continue a criminal activity that yields more benefits for a long time. The same criminal would stop immediately an activity with a higher probability of punishment. Besides, a criminal's behavior is usually molded by conditioning. A criminal learns by observing and modeling the behavior of others. One then tends to follow the past and the present consequences of the action. The rational choice theory acknowledges the power of free will where people have the ability to make decisions on whether to commit a crime or not. Besides, the theory creates an impression that people’s behavior is driven by some circumstances that force them to act in a particular manner (Loughran et al. 2016)
Applications of Rational Choice Theory
Rational choice theory can be used in devising policies that target the reduction on criminal activities. Basing on the model, there are four effective actions for reducing crime. They include enhancing the cost of all criminal activities, heightening the benefits of non-criminal activities, reducing the benefits of crime and reducing the cost incurred for indulgence in non-criminal activities. The most common way of increasing the cost of crime is to raise punishments. Severe sanction for a particular crime also prevents people from committing other different offenses. This behavior is due to the fear of committing crimes with high costs and high chances of arrest. Some of the measures that are relevant in increasing the value of offense include increasing the number of police officers, minimizing the benefit of court pleas, sentencing criminals to longer terms in prison and reducing the probation of offenders. On the other hand, the benefits of crime can be reduced by tightening safety measures through public sensitization and education on matters like locking houses, installing surveillance hardware, and self –defense.
Some ways of increasing the benefits of non-criminal activities include providing job opportunities, simplifying the process of business startups, reducing the cost of technical education and availing rehabilitation facilities for drug addicts. On the other hand, the costs of non-crime activities can be minimized by funding startup businesses and making life easy for ex-convicts released from jail (Loughran et al., 2016).
The effectiveness of Rational Choice Theory in Criminology
Paternoster, Jaynes, and Wilson (2017) conducted a study to test the reasons for drinking while driving using a sample of undergraduate university students. The study found out that sanctions, threats, measures of individual inclination and previous experiences of drinking and driving were factors that made some student follow traffic rules. They also found out that most drunk drivers commit the offense with the hope that there would be no chances of being arrested by the police.
Response to Criminal Behaviour regarding Prevention and Punishment
The way the society responds to crime significantly depends on the available justice system. The manner in which the justice system handles offense directly determines the community’s attitude towards the police and the general justice system. Punishment has been considered to be one of the many ways of preventing crime for a long time. However, the modern society has been drawn away from this perception. Most people begin to consider severe punishment as torture. Alternatively, they prefer education and counseling. The logic behind the use of penalty in preventing crimes can be well explained using the rational choice theory. Severe punishment is the only inhibitor to an offense that is perceived to have more benefits than a non-criminal activities. This is because the harsh sentence is greater than the motivational influence to commit a crime.
According to Glenn and Raine (2014), the society can respond to punishment either positively or negatively. A section of the community views punishment as a way of dealing with wrongdoing by ‘fixing' a criminal. For instance, a thief caught red-handed may shout that he/she needs help to get rid of the behavior. Another section of the society views punishment as a prevention tool.
Usually, justice systems believe that sentencing a criminal to an imprisonment term, paying fine and other modes of punishment are meant for justice and crime control strategy. Several studies have been conducted to determine the relationship between discipline and the rate of criminal behavior. Most of them confirm that increasing the severity of punishment reduces the occurrence of some criminal behaviors. Severe punishment frightens the members of the society. The individual offender also tends to change behavior. The chances of committing another crime will be minimal due to the fear of experiencing the same punishment or more. Some forms of disabling punishments like execution gets rid of the offender from the society thus preventing the occurrence of a similar crime by the same person. Rehabilitation changes the offender's behavior by turning the individual into a productive person in the society. Fines and compensation contraint the offenders financially preventing them from engaging in more criminal activities especially those involving money. Punishment also prevents the society from doing the same criminal behavior especially after witnessing the whole process because it reveals that the justice system is working. This mindset not only increases faith but also instills fear among members of the society.
However, according to Glenn and Raine (2014), there are some negative implications of punishment that may either cause an increase in criminal behavior or maintain the level of the criminal behavior in the society. Punishment may appear as a reward if wrongly administered. The offenders may view the punishment as a form of attention from the society or the justice system. This attention will make the offender crave for more thus encouraging more criminal behaviors. Punishment also leads to aggression. A criminal tends to perceive himself/ herself as powerful. This perception results in either repetitive offense or influencing other individuals. Sanctions might not control the real behavior. Attitudes may remain the same. Therefore, the criminal may tend to respond by behaving well only under strict surveillance but engaging in criminal activities when alone. There are instances when excess punishment may be viewed as a form of abuse depending on the crime committed, the mode of punishment and the damage caused. Perception of punishment is subjective. Therefore some offenders who might feel abused may have the desire to revenge either by doing the same criminal activity or a different one.
Enhancing Punishment in Preventing Criminal Behaviour
Punishment should occur on a regular basis. For a consistent punishment to happen, there must be a high level of surveillance to reinforce the behavior change or else the criminal behavior pattern may repeat over and over again. Punishment is also more likely to lead to a positive behavior-control result if it is administered immediately after the criminal activity. In most situations, criminals are sentenced long after the crime has been committed. The society may view the slow process as unresponsiveness or lack of enough effort from the justice system. Punishment should also entail some additional information or practices that help in behavior change. For instance, a thief should not only be punished and left but should also be taught some alternative ways of making money. This strategy will reinforce the new behavior acquired from the punishment. It will also prevent a repeat of the same mistakes. Some punishments lead to adverse behavior change like aggressiveness, withdrawal, and lack of self-esteem. It is therefore essential to weigh before deciding the most effective form of punishment to use (Glenn & Raine, 2014).
Conclusion
The principal concept in rational choice theory is that offenders think that criminal activity has more benefits than losses while non-criminals believe that criminal activities have more costs than rewards. The key to the prevention of criminal behavior basing on the rational choice theory is by demotivating criminal desires and motivating the willingness to engage in productive activities. One way of demotivating criminal activities discussed in this study is the use of punishment. Penalty should not only be applied to reduce commission of offenses but also to instill fear within the members of the society which will deter them from committing the same crime. These goals can only be achieved by a consistent punishment system, administering punishments immediately after the crime, combining discipline with education on behavior change and learning to design the best mode of punishment to apply in different situations.
References
Glenn, A. L., & Raine, A. (2014). Neurocriminology: Implications for the punishment, prediction, and prevention of criminal behavior. Nature Reviews Neuroscience 15(1) , 1-54.
Loughran, T. A., Paternoster, R., Chalfin, A., & Wilson, T. (2016). can rational choice be considered a general theory of crime? Evidence from individual;-level panel data. Criminology 54 (1) , 86-112.
Paternoster, R., Jaynes, C. M., & Wilson, T. (2017). Rational Choice Theory and Interest in the "Fortune of others." Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency , 1-22.
