There are various theories that can best explain certain crimes, however there is one that is best applied to the topic of sexual assault and/or crime. The rational choice theory, I believe is a theory that can best explain why a perpetrator decides to commit a sexual assault crime and/or rape. The reason why is because the rational choice theory is defined as how offenders seek to benefit themselves by their criminal behavior; that this involves the making of decisions and of choices, however rudimentary on occasion these processes might be; and that these processes exhibit a measure of rationality, albeit constrained by limits of time and ability and the availability of relevant information (Cornish & Clarke, 2014). These decisions are based on individual choices and it is not based …show more content…
The perpetrator makes the decision in committing a certain even though it can cause serious harm towards the other person. Rational choice theory holds that the choices of a person makes tend to maximize total convenience, where convenience is synonymous with the modern concept to reinforcement in behavioral psychology. Since utility (or reinforcement) cannot be directly observed, it must be inferred from behavior, namely, from those choices themselves (Hernstein, 1990). The justification of the perpetrator making this choice is by weighing the cost and benefits of that behavior without really having a long term plan on how it will be conducted. Since the person is tending to maximize total convenience, the person is seeking for an immediate reward and in this case it would be the gratification of dominating the victim and receiving what the perpetrator wanted without considering of the consequences of the crime nor what this will do to the
The vast amount of research has provided several explanations to account for the behavior of the offenders and the low rate in which sexual assault cases initiate criminal proceedings through a variety of theoretical perspectives. These include the classical approaches that focus on the individual who has committed sexual assault and the positivist approaches that aim to explain the social factors that influence the prosecution rates th...
The following morning is a dreadful, long one that stays with you forever. The memories in your mind keep crawling up every night when you fall asleep. You keep asking yourself, “Why did it happen to me? What did I do wrong?” Yet no answer comes to mind, all that you can think of is being violated, being misled for a simple task-rape. Why does it happen to us? What do the men see when the door is opened and a gorgeous women stands in front of their eyes. The mind collapses trying to find a solution to the problem. It's like having an exam and the only way for you to score is to cheat. So all girls are just scores guys try to push themselves upon? The mind grows blank and the human body works with sexual instinct. Date rape is one of those things that one man can't find a proper answer for. There are so many possibilities that one might think of as the cause of the problem. Which one is the right one? Is there one specific answer that is physiologically correct? No. Everyone has his or her own opinion, whether it is from experience or from common knowledge. Date rape is mainly cased by the in-proper behavior of the rapist. A man who can rape a woman has obviously been brought up in an uncomfortable, improper raised environment.
The first theory is the psychodynamic theory, which looks at three ways of classifying the purpose of the act. The first is an aggressive purpose, which is to humiliate, dirty and belittle the victim. This purpose usually shows that the men usually have a lot of trouble in heterosexual relationships. The second is a sexual purpose where the aggression is in the service of sexual wishes, which means that the rapist has a fantasy that he wants lived out. The third is tied in with the second which is the aggressor has a sadistic aim where he feels that some violence must occur for there to be sexual pleasure. (Hollin, p. 41)
The myth that men who rape women are sexually pathological has begun to be dispelled and replaced with an understanding that rape is an act of anger, power and control rather than lust. When people think about rape, they usually think of a stranger with a knife hiding in the bushes. He waits for a woman to walk by and then attacks. But that is not the only kind of rape. The majority of victims are raped by individuals they know or acquaintances.
Deviant behavior is defined as a behavior or action that is against the social norms of society. Rape is a deviant behavior that is a type of sexual assaults that usually involving sexual intercourse. This happens when one person or more initiates sexual acts against another person without that person's consent. The act can be sometimes carried out by physical force, coercion, or a person not being able to give valid consent. Someone who is unconscious, incapacitated, or below the legal age of consent would fall under that category. The term rape is sometimes used interchangeably with the term sexual assault. According to R.A.I.N (Rape, Abuse and Incet National Network, 2009) 44% of rape victims are under age 18 and 80% are under age 30. It is sad to report that every 2 minutes another American is assaulted which leaves an average of 237,868 victims, age 12 or older of sexual assault each year (R.A.I.N 2009). So who is to blame for this growing problem? It would be surprising to hear that many times people blame the victims. This is a growing concern for us all because it has led to a tremendous amount of unreported incidents which leads to the perpetrator roaming the streets waiting to strike again. Rape can lead to have severe traumatization and victim can suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder along with causing psychological harm and has been shown to cause physical injury, or have additional effects on the victim, such as acquiring of a sexually transmitted infection or becoming pregnant. Sadly following a rape, a victim may face violence or threats thereafter from the rapist.
It is very common for rape survivors to blame themselves for what happened. They believe they could of prevented the incident or even stopped it from happening. When victims finally come to the realization that it wasn’t their fault and someone else had complete control and power over them is when they really break down. It’s better for victims to believe that they had a part in the event rather the admit to themselves that they were helpless and couldn‘t do anything. Many offenders tend to express and do certain things to make victims get into the mindset that they endure. Not only do rape victims have suicidal thoughts, but they also act on these thought as well. Sexual assaults are not uncommon at all. There is no specific re...
Picture this. You are heading off to college to begin the next chapter of your life. It is a moment you have always been waiting for. You are past the high school drama, and are ready to start taking classes that will allow you to obtain a degree in something you have always been passionate about. It’s your first week on campus and you are invited to a party being hosted by a group of upper classman. You show up to the party and immediately are handed a red cup with what you know is something you shouldn’t be drinking. You take a sip anyway and soon start talking to that guy in the corner who at first seems friendly, but soon begins to take advantage of you. Just like that everything changes. This is a situation millions of people face every
Sexual assault is defined as a type of behaviour that occurs without explicit consent from the recipient and under sexual assault come various categories such as sexual activities as forces sexual intercourse, incest, fondling, attempted rape and more (Justice.gov. 2017). People often become victims of sexual assault by someone they know and trust (Mason & Lodrick, 2013) which is conflicting to the public’s perception and beliefs that offenders are strangers. Women are the main victims for sexual assault and are 5 times more likely to have been a victim of sexual assault from a male (Wright, 2017, p. 93). Men are victims of sexual assault however only 0.7% of men, compared to 3.2% of women, experience some form of sexual assault which highlights how vulnerable women are compared to men. Sexual assault is publicised and exposed in the media, however is often
The US Military has been one of the most powerful and respected fighting forces in the world; it is also a hotbed for sexual assault. Each year, thousands of men and women take an oath to serve and protect their country and each thousands of military service members are sexually assaulted. “Earlier this week, Pentagon officials released a new report which estimated more than 70 sexual assaults occur in the military each day.”(Shane III) Fear of retaliation, both personal and professional, and humiliation stop many service members from reporting their sexual assaults. Those few that make the bold choice to report incidents of sexual assault often finds themselves disappointed by the outcome; assaults that do get reported have an incredibly low rate of conviction of the offender. The US Military has proven over time that they are incapable of effectively dealing with the sexual assault problem that it faces.
When people commit crime, some of those people understand that consequences come along the way. They understand the means, ends and cost of their actions, the benefits that come for committing a crime. In criminology, rational choice theory plays a role when people commit crime. People will act in their self-interest and make choices to commit crime after weighing the potential risks against the rewards. In two different articles, it will demonstrate how rational choice theory comes into play, as for the second one, why this theory would not work in this particular crime.
In such manner, the article supports the feasibility of utilizing the rational choice theory in wrongdoing repugnance, especially when it was mentioned that, "criminals are driven as rational decision makers who base their decisions to commit crimes on an analysis of the risks of the venture compared with the expected profits. That is, the criminal does a cost-benefit analysis" (Wilson & Geason, 2016).
Chapter three mainly focuses in on how to deter individuals from committing crimes. I see it as individuals can commit crimes as much as they choose to, but are they willing to deter themselves from those crimes? Some may be willing to change their ways, but for others, it gives them the adrenaline to continue this process. The next thought that comes to my mind is: What benefits are coming to an individual who constantly commits crimes? What I can see happening to the individual is that they will get in trouble for the crime they have committed and start to think if what they did was actually right or wrong to them.
Often times, a college board and society will lay blame on victims of sexual assault, inherently accepting male sexual violence as innate and natural. This is otherwise known as rape culture. Rape Culture is more broadly defined as a complex set of beliefs that reassure and naturalize male acts of sexual aggression, and consequently supporting violence against women. Sexual violence against women, even men, can be attributed to varying factors. However, the traditional response is to claim that men are biologically inclined to have oppressing sexual desires. To implicate men and their masculinity as dominant and sexually aggressive, is to withhold rape culture. The theory of sociobiology is applicable here, as it is the belief that “both reproductive and social behaviors are powerfully influenced by biological forces” (Kilmartin 57). As understood from the theory sex-linked social behaviors, such as male dominance and sexual assault, has a biological survival value for the individual as a method of a reproductive strategy. Rape, therefore, is a socially deviant behavior that is seen as an extreme strategy for reproduction. The sociobiology theory’s belief that all males are biologically programmed to exert sexual dominance, fails to recognize that less than “8% of men in college commit more than 90% of sexual assaults” (The Hunting Ground).
Rape and sexual violence is a very serious problem that affects millions of people each year. Rape is someone taking advantage of another person sexually. Sexual assault can be verbal, physical, visual, or anything that forces a person to join in unwanted sexual contact or attention. ("Sexual Assault.") Rape is one of the most underreported crimes. In 2002, only thirty-nine percent of rapes and sexual assaults were reported to law officials. ("Sexual Violence: Fact Sheet.") Victims sometimes do not report that they have raped because of shame or feeling that it was their fault. It is never the victim's fault. "Victim blaming" is holding the victim of a crime to be in a whole or in partly responsible for what had happened to them. Most victims believe this. ("Myths and Facts about Sexual Violence.")
Assigning blame has become an increasingly difficult and complex concept to understand, especially in our legal court system. I associate blame with being held responsible for the consequences of one’s intentional actions. In regards to sexual assault cases, I think the blame should not be placed on the victims, but rather on the perpetrators. Victim blaming justifies the perpetrator’s actions, discourages sexual assault reportings, and can have psychological effects on the victim.