Discuss the Evidence that Criminals Make Rational Choices

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Discuss the Evidence that Criminals

Make Rational Choices

Research has shown that people who are predisposed to committing crime are more concerned about gaining the approval of peers and significant others and are more likely to believe that crime is not morally wrong, than any fear of detection, punishment, educational sanctions or even rejection by parents

The tendency to commit a crime is related to the life experiences of children and the exposure to society as they grow up.

When an individual is prone to committing a crime, he/she will become more inclined by the social norms that encourage/discourage criminal activity and they will have a need to fit in rather than a fear of reprisals.

The Rational Choice Approach is the choices we make about how to respond in certain situations, whether they are rational or not.

The two theories that explore the link between criminal intentions and actions and the Rational Choice Approach are:

Theory of Reasoned Action - proposes that the intention to commit a criminal act is determined by our attitudes and perceptions of what other significant people in our lives expect of us. Our attitudes arise out