Criminal Acts and Choices Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Criminal Acts and Choices - Essay Example In this assignment I shall discuss the choice theory and its relation to crime. â€Å"Rational choice theory (choice theory) is the view that crime is a function of a decision making process in which a potential offender weighs the potential costs and benefits of an illegal act.† (Seigel 2011) The word choice involves the selection of options. People select options with predictable results or they might want to take risk and choose an option with an element of chance. The chance may be with or without the given probabilities depending upon which option is selected. When people decide upon options with a negative result or a wrong doing after weighing its costs and benefits then the crime breaks out. According to the choice theory criminal behaviour is a very deliberate attempt. This behaviour is a result of a well organized thought process and planning. When an offender of law decides to commit crime he considers all personal and situational factors. He analyses personal factors like the excitement of taking risks, the money involved in the illegal act, the satisfaction of taking the due revenge etc. Also he does sound calculation of the situational environment like how and when the target is available and approachable, the security risks involved, and the presence of law enforcing agents at the place where he will commit the crime etc. The choice of target, the method of committing crime and the post crime plan are all very systematic and selective. Thus the choice theory relates to crime by explaining the fact that criminals choose crime after analysing its pros and cons and it is a matter of choice that people break the law and indulge themselves in criminal activities. There are no mathematical equations for calculating crimes. However, there are models which are used by the society to determine criminal acts. The two most common models used by the society for determining crime are the consensus