Areport on Some of Factors That Associated With Rational Theory of Crime
Introduction
Rational choice of theory of crime is where it is believed in the field of criminology that man is like a reasoning actor who looks at means and ends, benefits and costs then a rational choice is made basing on some of these factors.
Body
Some of the factors that gears one towards making such decisions include the following:
Effects
This is where it is believed that the effects of a crime are as a result of the choice made by the offender. Before one indulges in making any crime he weighs overall effects like the costs,benefits,risks among many others. When effects are more negative the offender may tend hesitate in making decision whether to do the crime or not. Where the effects are more of positive the offender may opt to go on with the decisions of committing the crime.
Payoff
The offender weighs at gain or benefits that come with the crime that is tocommitted. The benefit may be in terms of money any valuable thing. When offender discovers that the payoff or benefits does not meet the individual interest the probability of committing the crime goes down but when the payoff or benefits satisfy the individual interests the probability of committing crime goes high.
Peer Support
This can as an example of rational nature kind of crime as research prove this. However this is majorly concerned with instrumental crimes such as property and drug offence. This where people the same age can influence you in making decision committing crime or not. Example if all your friends own a car one can be tempted with all means to acquire the car using illegal ways and end up committing a crime. Also if your company comprises friends who are womanizer you can end up committing crimes like sexual assault.
Punishment
As per research higher punishment seems to reduce or deter high cases of crimes while lower punishment seems to be true. At deeper depth of perception it is affected mostly by the interaction between offender and the inspectors who are mainly police. Example it is clearly observed that for higher punishment there will be a lot of inspections and therefore too little crime.
Risk of Apprehension
Risk is the potential that a chosen activity or action will lead to loss.The offender makes a good analysis to see if more risks are involved in committing a crime. When risks are many it can serve as a deterrent to one committing a crime. When few risks are involved it can to some level increase the chances of one committing a crime. Therefore it means risk apprehension is one of major factors that contribute to decision reached to commit a crime.
Needs of the Offender
The need factor requires the focus of how the correctional treatment that is to be done on criminogenic needs. Theneeds of a criminal are dynamic and directly linked to the criminal behavior. The needs may be temporary or static. Many offenders have very many needs which all of them may not necessarily be associated with criminal behavior. The needs may cause one to indulge in crime depending on a number of needs they have. The needs may be major or minor. Major ones include procriminal attitudes indicated by rationalization of crime, negative attitudes towards the law. Antisocial personality, pattern indicated by impulsive, pleasure seeking .School indicated by poor performance, low levels of satisfactions.
Minor ones include physical health indicated by physical deformity, nutrient deficiency, major mental disorder shown by schizophrenia, manic-depression, self-esteem shown by poor feelings of self-esteem, self-worth.
Recommendation
Many factors contribute to crimes but better solutions should be found to curb it. This process would help realize a greater deal of help.
Conclusion
As it is that criminals use sometimes their brains, so it is that it can be applied by inspectors, for example the police.
REFERENCE
Hanson. R. K., & Thornton, D. (1999)” Static-99: Improving actuarial risk assessments for sex offenders”. Ottawa Public Safety Canada.
Hoffman, P. B., & Beck, J. L. (1974)” Parole decision-making: A Salient Factor Score. Journal of Criminal Justice” 2, 195-206.
Lipton, D. (1975” The effectiveness of correctional treatment: A survey of treatment evaluation studies” New York.
