Criminology Chapter 4 - Rational Choice Theory

Enlightenment

a philosophical, intellectual, and cultural movement of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries that stressed reason, logic, criticism, education, and freedom of thought over dogma and superstition

marginal deterrence

the concept that a penalty for a crime may prompt commission of a marginally more severe crime because that crime conceives the same magnitude of punishment as the original one

classical criminology

eighteenth-century social thinkers believed that criminals choose to commit crime and that crime can be controlled by judicious punishment

rational choice theory

the view that crime is a function of decision-making process in which the potential offender weighs the potential costs and benefits of an illegal act

reasoning criminals

according to rational choice approach, law violating behavior occurs when an offender decides to risk breaking the law after considering both personal factors (such as the need for money, revenge, thrills, and entertainment) and situational factors (how well a target is protected and the efficiency of the local police)

offense-specific crime

the idea that offenders react selectively to the characteristics of particular crimes

offender-specific crime

the idea that offenders evaluate their skills, motives, needs, and fears before deciding to commit crime

criminality

a personal trait of the individual as distinct from a "crime", which is an event

boosters

professional shoplifters who steal with the intention of reselling stolen merchandise

permeable neighborhoods

areas with a greater than usual number of access streets from traffic arteries into the neighborhood

edgeworkd

the excitement or exhilaration of successfully executing illegal activities in dangerous situations

situational crime prevention

a method of crime prevention that stresses tactics and strategies to eliminate or reduce particular crimes in narrow settings, such as reducing burglaries in a housing project by increasing lighting and installing security systems

defensible space

that principle that crime prevention can be achieved through modifying the physical environment to reduce the opportunity individuals have to commit crime

crime discouragers

discouragers can be grouped into three categories: guardians, who monitor targets (such as store security guards); handlers, who monitor potential offenders (such as parole officers and parents); and managers, who monitor places (such as homeowners and doorway attendants).

diffusion of benefits

efforts to prevent one crime help prevent another; in other instances, crime control efforts in one locale reduce crime in another area

discouragement

crime control efforts targeting a particular locale help reduce crime in surrounding areas and populations

displacement

a program that helps lower crime rates at specific locations or neighborhoods may be redirecting offenders to alternative targets

general deterrence

a crime control policy that depends on fear of criminal penalties. measures, such as long prison sentences for violent crimes, are aimed at convincing the potential law violator that the pains associated with the crime outweigh its benefits

perceptual deterrence

the theory that the perceived certainty, severity, and celerity of punishment are inversely related to the decisions by would-be offenders to commit crime, regardless of the actual likelihood of being apprehended and punished. people who believe they will be punished will be deterred even if the actual likelihood of punishment is insignificant

deterrence theory

the view that if the probability of arrest, conviction, and sanctioning increase, crime rates should decline

tipping point

the minimum amount of expected punishment necessary to produce a significant reduction of crime rates

crackdowns

the concentration of police resources on particular problem areas, such as street level dealing, to eradicate or displace criminal activity

informal sanctions

disapproval, stigma, or anger directed toward an offender by significant others (parents, peers, neighbors, teachers) resulting in shame, embarrassment, and loss of respect

restrictive deterrence

convincing criminals that committing a serious crime is too risky and that other less-dangerous crimes or actions might be a better choice

specific deterrence

the view that if experienced punishment is severe enough, convicted offenders will be deterred from repeating their criminal activity

incapitation effect

the idea that keeping offenders in confinement will eliminate the risk of their committing further offenses

just desert

the philosophy of justice that assets that those who violate the rights of others deserve to be punished. the severity of punishment should be commensurate will the seriousness of the crime

blameworthy

basing punishment solely on whether a person is responsible for wrongdoing and deserving of censure or blame