Choice theory plays an important role when there are reasons leading to a criminal activity. Choice theory has its own importance when creating strategies for controlling crime or when it is trying to reduce crime. This is an important theory to understand and how it affects the possibility of someone taking part in a criminal activity. Also, understand its attempt to control crime and how it would take place under the choice theory. Choice theory affects how society would determine criminal acts. Choice theory in criminology is also known as a classical theory. The fundamental concept of this theory would be that people select behavior, including their criminal behavior. These peoples’ choices can be controlled by many factors. For example, their fear of being punished, or the rewards they receive when they are doing their crime or any illegal activity where they are involved. The criminal knows that the bigger the crime, the bigger the punishment, which is where the fear of punishment takes place. According to the choice theory, punishment should have four objectives. The first is to prevent any criminal offences, second is that when a crime cannot be prevented, then the offender should be persuaded to commit a lesser crime. The third would be to make sure the offender uses no more force than is necessary. The fourth objective would be to prevent crime as least expensive as possible. It was in 1970 when the choice theory came about and the classical theory became popular again. Following the revival of the classical theory, there was a political shift towards a more conservative public. This new form of choice theory was based on intelligent thought processes and criminal decision making, which is known today as the rational choice theory. Rational choice is the decision to commit to a specific type of crime or illegal activity based on weighing the information that is available. It is also based on a matter of personal decision making. Rational choice theory has a certain perspective of crime, which is based on both offence and offender specific. Offence specific crime relates to those offenders that will react selectively to the characteristics of a particular offense. Offender specific crimes relates to the fact that the criminals are not simply aggravated people who decide to engage in random antisocial behavior for one reason to another. Instead, they consider whether they have the prerequisites for committing a criminal act which may include their skills, needs, and fears before they decide to commit a crime. Most offenders share a personality trait. They perceive freedom of movement and
