Rational Choice Theory: A Crime‐Related Perspective

Abstract

As an explanation of crime, the rational choice perspective in essence argues that would‐be offenders consider the potential costs and benefits before deciding whether to engage in crime. To be accurate, there is not a single, well‐defined rational choice theory, but rather a series of models that attempt to explain criminal events and/or criminality. The rational choice perspective in criminology has evolved largely from two previous and complementary explanations of human behavior. One of these is the classical school of thought characterized by the Enlightenment scholars Cesare Beccaria (1764) and Jeremy Bentham (1789). These early philosophers proposed that individuals would refrain from offending out of fear of the potential punishment that would result from such behavior (this is also the conceptual basis for the deterrence perspective in criminology). The rational choice perspective on crime also has more recent roots in a second explanation of human behavior, specifically, the attempts of economists to explain consumer purchasing decisions based on a consideration of the perceived potential utility of a product.