CriminologyLesson 5 of 5 in the course Social control and labelling

Rational Choice, Routine Activities, and Situational Crime Prevention

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 5 fill-in sentences · English

Save course
Lesson progress
0 / 5

Your progress is kept in this browser only.Sign up to save it

Summary

Rational choice theory explains crime by examining how a person considers possible actions and their likely consequences. It is especially useful for understanding deliberate, opportunity-dependent behavior and for informing crime prevention.

Cornish and Clarke developed rational choice modeling as a way to help think systematically about situational crime prevention. In criminology, the rational choice theory of crime proposes that offending often involves decisions in which a person considers potential benefits, costs, and risks.

All flashcards

What does rational choice theory examine when explaining offending?
How perceived benefits, costs, risks, and opportunities can shape decisions to offend.
What is routine activity theory?
A theory that explains crime opportunities through the convergence of a suitable target, a motivated offender, and absent capable guardianship.
What does bounded rationality mean?
Decision-making limited by factors such as incomplete information, cognitive constraints, and emotional arousal.
What is situational crime prevention?
Measures that change specific settings or opportunities to make particular offenses harder, riskier, or less rewarding.
How can anticipated emotions affect offending?
Anticipated rewards such as thrill may encourage offending, while anticipated costs such as fear or guilt may discourage it.

Quiz questions

  1. What does rational choice theory emphasize when explaining an offense?Answer: How perceived benefits, costs, risks, and opportunities may shape a decision to offend.
  2. According to routine activity theory, which conditions converge for a crime opportunity to arise?Answer: A suitable target, a motivated offender, and the absence of a capable guardian.
  3. Why may punishment be less likely to deter an impulsive expressive offense than a planned instrumental offense?Answer: Intense emotional arousal may prevent someone from considering future consequences before acting.
  4. What is a central aim of situational crime prevention?Answer: To change specific circumstances so that a particular offense becomes harder, riskier, or less rewarding.
  5. What is one limitation of rational choice theory when applied to criminal responsibility?Answer: It does not by itself account for differences related to age, mental disorder, or decision-making capacity.

Based on the Wikipedia article Rational choice theory (criminology), licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

More in Criminology

All Criminology lessons
CriminologyVictimisation: Concepts, Revictimisation, and Crime Survey Measurement5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 4 gamesPlay free →CriminologyCesare Beccaria: Criminal Justice Theory, Reform, and Legacy5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 4 gamesPlay free →CriminologyDifferential Association Theory: Social Learning, Definitions, and Scope5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 4 gamesPlay free →CriminologyCesare Lombroso: Criminal Atavism, Scientific Critiques, and Historical Legacy5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 4 gamesPlay free →CriminologyBiological, Psychological, and Social Positivism in Criminology5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 4 gamesPlay free →CriminologyRoutine Activity Theory: Crime Opportunities, Targets, and Guardianship5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 4 gamesPlay free →