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Strength of rational choice theory
Rational Choice Theory (Cornish & Clarke, 1987)
Rational Choice Theory (Cornish & Clarke, 1987)
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1. The Rational Choice perspective is a theory that the choices individuals make are done in a logical manner were they weigh the benefits against the cost that could possible result. In other words, the self-interest should receive the maximum reward while the penalties would be minimum to none. 2. The person’s that I selected caused hours long chase, being called the modern day Bonnie & Clyde as Blake Fitzgerald and Brittany Harper committed a bunch of robberies to abductions in multiple states until a shootout that killed one and injured another in the mist of the gunfire. Now in a general deterrence; a theory that if one individual is punished then the cost of punishment targets all other potential offenders that would fall in the steps
1 Mark Stafford and Mark Warr, “A Reconceptualization of General and Specific Deterrence,” Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency 30 (1993): 133.
Following the murders of two young girls, both killed by repeat offenders, the people of California decided it was time to eradicate recidivism and crack down on crime. The general view was that violent criminals needed to be kept in prison where they could not harm the public, and the existing criminal justice system was not doing enough to deter crime. Out of this wave of moral outrage came what was to be the harshest sentencing legislation in the country.
Deterrence has had two type punishments general and specific. Specific deterrence is those individual that reframe from committing another crime so that the penalty outweigh the benefits of the crime in the defendants head. General deterrence is to strives the influence the behavior in those not yet arrested, but who be tempted. Specific deterrence is to seek to reduce the likelihood of recidivism.
The rational choice perspective is the view that human behavior reflects the belief that rational choices have more possible benefits, which is why people make choices based off self-interest and reaching their goals. This perspective is shown through social exchange theory, symbolic interaction theory, and social network theory. I was drawn to this perspective because I see it in my everyday encounters and I have seen how the related theories have influenced my view of society. I also found how my faith and values are congruent with this perspective, and how they conflict.
Deterrence advocates argue that people choose to obey or break the law after “calculating the gains or consequences of their actions” (Chamberlain, 2015, p.21). However, it is difficult to prove the effectiveness of deterrence because not all offenders are punished since only those offenders not deterred and, also offenders that are not caught come to the attention of law enforcement. Therefore, we may never completely understand why others choose not engage in delinquent behavior. Deterrence theory is generally broken up into two types of categories, general and specific deterrence. General deterrence is designed to prevent crimes in the general population. In general deterrence, the state’s punishment of offenders serves as an example for
In the rational model of reasoning decisions are made by evaluation. There are logical steps or processes that are taken to make policy decisions. The goal or purpose is clearly defined or known. All alternatives are evaluated and taken into consideration
It does this by discouraging individuals from committing crimes through the deterrence of punishments that range from monetary fines to imprisonment. The two types of deterrence, general and specific, protect individuals and society as a whole from the repercussions of crime by laws that state the punitive consequences of criminal activity. A general deterrence is when the public learns of an individual punishment due to offences committed, resulting in the public’s reluctance to commit crime, because of the consequences of legal punishment. Specific deterrence refers to the individual defendant. When an individual learn of their punishment from a crime, they are less likely to commit another crime because of the fear of a similar punishment. For example, Brandon Osborn, who shot his partner in North-western Victoria last year was initially sentenced to nine years in jail. If it wasn't for the fact of his early guilty plea and his show of remorse and his potential for rehabilitation, the sentence would have been longer as he would have been charged with murder instead of manslaughter and a firearm offence. Hence, a specific deterrent from the fear of punishment gave protection to society from this individual who violated a law which is designed to harshly punish such
According to Buchanan and Huczynski (2013), an individual’s quality of decisions can be influenced by how they perceive the surrounding circumstances in a given situation. This process falls in the “rational decision-making model” whereby an individual rationalizes and makes a decision based on the rational circumstances. For example a manager might be required to make a decision on whether to punish or pardon an employee who has made an error but his decision is based on the circumstances surrounding the event. If two managers were to independently evaluate the situation, one person might decide to punish while another might decide to pardon because it will depend on the personal interpre...
Rational choice theory is the argues that patterns of behavior in societies are caused by the choices made by individuals as they try and maximize their benefits, while at the same time, minimize their costs. Rational choice theory contends that people make rational choices based on their goals which in turn controls behavior. The theory assumes that individuals are motivated purely by self-interest and the desire to maximize their interests. A key in rational choice decision-making is that individuals have perfect information before making a decision.
Rational choice theory, developed by Ronald Clarke and Derek Cornish in 1985, is a revival of Cesare Becca...
The second example of when this case study involves the rational choice perspective is when Danny lied to Laura about having the job at GM. Danny used his rational thinking that if he told Laura he had a good job, that she would stay with Danny. Danny was desperate at this point and attempted to make Laura and the children stay. In his mind, he had to lie in order to gain his reward. He believed that the benefit of him saying he had a job would make his marriage
Rational choice theory/rational action theory, is a structure used by sociologist and criminologist to enumerate crime and often formally modeling socio-economic behavior.
The models of rational decision making can be defined as the steps used when making choices that are related to solving public or private problems and creating policies to address them. According to Kraft and Furlong (2013; 118), these steps include the following; define and analyze the problem, constructing policy alternatives, developing evaluative criteria, assess the alternatives, and drawing conclusions. The primary step of the decision making process is to define the problem; meaning, who is the issue affecting, what is the issue, and where does the issue exist. The second part to the first step is to analyze the current circumstances or the status quo while also finding out what are the primary causes of the problem and how they can be address by policy action (Kraft and Furlong, 2013). The second step is to construct policy alternatives, outlining what notions or possibilities are a viable solution for the particular issue. The third step is to develop evaluative criteria this is finding out the best practical resolutions for the problem. During this step the possible cost involved, the level of effectiveness and political feasibility are also discussed. The fourth step is to assess the alternatives; by this stage in the process it has been decided that the problem will be confronted and determining which policy would be the favorable considering all situations. The fifth step is to draw conclusions; what other influences ought to be assessed and which course of action is the most probable based on the existing knowledge (Kraft and Furlong, 2013).
The Rational Choice Theory also referred to as the Choice Theory and the Rational Action Theory. Used by social scientist and economists for understanding people and behavior. McShane and Von Glinow (2013) states that “the Rational Choice Theory was established approximately 2,500 years ago when Plato and his contemporaries in ancient Greec...
This paper will focus on the Rational Model for decision-making. The first section will describe the Rational Model for decision-making. It will identify all the steps of the Rational Model and what they entail. The second section will detail a recent job-related issue I was involved with. I will discuss the issue and show how the Rational Model of decision-making was effectively utilized to reach a decision.