Rational Choice Perspective Flashcards

Flashcards reviewing the core concepts of the rational choice perspective in criminology, based on a lecture transcript. Covers purposive behavior, bounded rationality, crime-specific decision making, event vs. involvement decisions, stages of involvement, and crime scripts.

What does it mean that criminal behavior is 'purposive'?

Criminal behavior is never senseless and always has some anticipated or intended benefit to the offender.

Besides material reward, what other benefits might an offender seek?

Excitement, prestige, fun, sexual gratification, defiance, or domination of others.

How do Cornish and Clark view rationality in seemingly irrational acts?

Even in cases of clinical delusion or pathological compulsion, there is still some degree of rationality involved, although it may be limited.

What is Cornish and Clark's perspective on offender decision-making given their limitations?

Offenders are generally doing the best they can with the limitations of time, resources, and information available to them.

What is the basic assumption about offenders and their actions from the rational choice perspective?

Offenders think before they act, even if it's just momentary and based on immediate assumptions.

According to Cornish and Clark, what conditions characterize offenders' decision-making process?

Offenders are rarely in possession of all the necessary facts, and criminal choices have to be made quickly and revised hastily.

According to Tim Newburn, what are the components of bounded rationality?

Type of decision, imperfect knowledge, and impaired decision making.

What is a key aspect of decision making from a rational choice perspective?

Decision making that is very crime specific.

Why must choice perspective models have a crime-specific focus?

Each different type of crime, even the same crime in different circumstances, requires different decision making.

What are examples of cybercrimes?

Cyberstalking, romance crimes, cyberbullying, malware, denial of service attacks, phishing, and hacking.

What are the two types of decisions according to rational choice perspective?

Event decisions differ from involvement decisions.

What must individuals decide in the initial involvement or initiation phase?

Deciding whether they are willing to offend to satisfy their needs.

What stages of a criminal career do involvement decisions relate to?

Initiation, habituation, and desistance.

Describe event decisions.

Very crime-centered and involve short-term decisions, which may involve light or in-depth planning.

Examples of background factors influencing the initial decision to get involved in crime?

Personal characteristics (e.g., personality, self-control), upbringing factors (e.g., family dynamics, poor education), and criminal behavior in family.

What processes do background factors contribute to?

Experience with crime, moral attitudes, self-perception, and the ability to plan, and skills that might be used in crime.

What factors relate to someone's current circumstances?

Marital status, housing situation, employment situation, and friends engaged in deviant lifestyles.

What do current circumstances help shape in a person?

Urgent need for cash, a job, or a need for excitement to supplement income.

What does the evaluation of solutions lead to?

Whether a person is ready to commit crime and involves different factors influencing how people could be motivated to commit crime.

What is a crime script?

Breaks down the many different steps and stages of a crime event.

What are some stages in the crime script of stealing lead off a church roof?

Preparation, preconditions, theft, and profiting.

What does the 'preparation' function involve in a crime script?

Selecting a suitable church, acquiring tools, and acquiring means of transporting stolen lead.

What are the preconditions for stealing lead off a church roof?

Accessing the church, parking the vehicle close to the roof, and scaling the roof.

What does the 'profiting' function involve in the crime script?

Locating a scrap metal dealer willing to buy stolen metal, delivering the lead, and receiving payment.

What mentality, when you unpack it into a crime script, you can see that actually at every step of the way different decisions are being made?

Thinking about the risks and rewards at each stage of a crime.

By thinking about the risks and rewards of each stage, you can start seeing opportunities to provide what?

Creating opportunities to provide situational deterrence.