Rational Choice, Deterrence, Incapacitation and Just...

Rational Choice, Deterrence, Incapacitation and Just Desert In seeking to answer the question, Why do people engage in deviant and/or criminal acts?, many researchers, as well as the general public, have begun to focus on the element of personal choice. An understanding of personal choice is commonly based in a conception of rationality or rational choice. These conceptions are rooted in the analysis of human behavior developed by the early classical theorists, Cesare Beccaria and Jeremy Bentham. The central points of this theory are: (1) The human being is a rational actor, (2) Rationality involves an end/means calculation, (3) People (freely) choose all behavior, both conforming and deviant,†¦show more content†¦Rational Choice Theory emerged. According to this view, law-violating behavior should be viewed as an event that occurs when an offender decides to risk violating the law after considering his or her own personal situation (need for money, personal values, learning experiences) and situational factors (how well a target is protected, how affluent the neighborhood is, how efficient the local police happen to be). Before choosing to commit a crime, the reasoning criminal evaluates the risk of apprehension, the seriousness of the expected punishment, the value of the criminal enterprise, and his or her immediate need for criminal gain. (Siegel, p.131, 1992) This perspective shifts attention to the act of engaging in criminal or deviant activity. The issue becomes, what can be done to make the act of crime or deviance less attractive to the individual? How can crime or deviant behavior be prevented? ...crime prevention or at least crime reduction, may be achieved through policies that convince criminals to desist from criminal activities, delay their actions, or avoid a particular target. (Siegel, p.133, 1992). Strategies that are relevant to this perspective include the following: targetShow MoreRelatedShould Punishment Be Punished For The Crime?1866 Words   |  8 Pagesgeneral), rehabilitation or reform, and incapacitation. Deterrence is the use of punishment as a threat to deter people from offending. ‘The punishment suffered by the offender presents to everyone an example of what he himself will have to suffer, if he is guilty of the same offence’ (cited in Hudson, 2003b: 19). The utilarian idea that deterrence prevents future crimes however has been hugely ctriticised. 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