Rational Choice Theory

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Opportunity-based crime theories propose that people engage in deviant behavior if the situation dictates. In other words, if the situation they are in offers an opportunity to commit crime a would-be offender will take advantage of this opportunity. To understand the offender decision-making process during situation crime we can refer to the rational choice perspective, which considers man as a reasoning and rational being who assesses the benefits, costs, ends and means, and then makes a rational decision. Although rational choice theory is the basis for the classical school theory, it is also a modern extension of it. Modern rational choice theorists Clarke & Cornish (1985) themed the rational choice theory with the main objective of understanding …show more content…
According to Clarke & Cornish (1985), background variables from an individual’s life experience may influence personality traits, attitudes and values that could lean an individual towards perpetrating crimes. Contrarily, Clarke & Cornish (1985) hold that these background factors play an orienting role in the sense that they expose individuals to specific problems and opportunities. This in turn, makes individuals view and weigh the problems and opportunities (that may arise) in criminal ways. An example of this would be an individual in urgent need of cash may ponder criminal activity or wait for the opportunity to present itself during their routine activities. The second phase in the offender decision making model is the criminal event. This involves the various alternative choices the potential offender has in regards to the commitment of the crime. An example of this would be an offender after making a decision to abort a burglary attempt or opt to do his/her bidding in another area because of a multitude of factors such as accessibility, frequency of police patrols and security among other factors that would favor his commitment of crime (Clarke & Cornish, 1985). While the criminal event is taking place, the offender may or may not encounter obstacles during the criminal event because the external situation or variable is …show more content…
What this means is that circumstances change and that the conditions for committing a crime change. In the continuing involvement model, the readiness of the offender heavily relies on personal circumstances and experiences to gain a sense of readiness which in turn helps hone the offender’s skill sets. If the benefits from committing the crime are sustainable, the offender is likely to continue committing the offense (Clarke & Cornish, 1985). The desistance model seeks to explain why offenders decide to stop their criminal lifestyle/behavior. Clarke & Cornish (1985) note that desistance often is due to adjustments in the offender’s personal circumstances (age or experience while committing crimes). Other factors include; financial needs, marital status, changes in the community and neighborhood (some form of guardianship) lack of suitable targets and changing policies within policing. Furthermore, an offender may desist from offending by changing the type of crime or suitable target the rational choice perspective theorizes that desistance is not essentially
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