Cjs 200 Criminal Acts And Choice Theories Response Research Paper
Criminal Acts and Choice Theories Response
Stephanie Bangerter
CJS 200
April 7, 2014
Criminal Acts and Choice Theories Response
The two criminology models that best suits the basic knowledge of law in this country is the classical and neoclassical criminological theories. The classical theory makes basic assumptions such as:
• “Crime is caused by the individual exercise of free will. Human beings are fundamentally rational, and most human behavior is the result of free will coupled with rational choice.” (Schmalleger. 2011. P.81)
• “Pain and pleasure are the two central determinants of human behavior.”(Schmalleger. 2011. P.81)
• “Crime erodes the bond that exists between individuals and society and is therefore an immoral form of behavior.” (Schmalleger. 2011. p.81)
• “Punishment, a necessary evil, is sometimes required to deter law violators from repeating their crime and to serve as an example to others who would also violate the law.” (Schmalleger. 2011. P.81)
• “Crime prevention is possible through swift and certain punishment that offsets any gains to be had through criminal behavior.” (Schmalleger. 2011. p.81) …show more content…
The rational choice theory is a logically consistent model that claims that a criminal will make a conscious choice to commit a crime, but only if the benefit of committing the crime outweighs the cost. I believe in some cases that criminals are a product of their environment and some criminals are even created due to mental illness. But I mostly believe in the choice theory. From the time we are born, we are taught the difference between right and wrong. Parents, relatives, and other authoritative figures in our lives play a direct role in the path to becoming an adult. These same people are a part of what we consider
Stephanie Bangerter
CJS 200
April 7, 2014
Criminal Acts and Choice Theories Response
The two criminology models that best suits the basic knowledge of law in this country is the classical and neoclassical criminological theories. The classical theory makes basic assumptions such as:
• “Crime is caused by the individual exercise of free will. Human beings are fundamentally rational, and most human behavior is the result of free will coupled with rational choice.” (Schmalleger. 2011. P.81)
• “Pain and pleasure are the two central determinants of human behavior.”(Schmalleger. 2011. P.81)
• “Crime erodes the bond that exists between individuals and society and is therefore an immoral form of behavior.” (Schmalleger. 2011. p.81)
• “Punishment, a necessary evil, is sometimes required to deter law violators from repeating their crime and to serve as an example to others who would also violate the law.” (Schmalleger. 2011. P.81)
• “Crime prevention is possible through swift and certain punishment that offsets any gains to be had through criminal behavior.” (Schmalleger. 2011. p.81) …show more content…
The rational choice theory is a logically consistent model that claims that a criminal will make a conscious choice to commit a crime, but only if the benefit of committing the crime outweighs the cost. I believe in some cases that criminals are a product of their environment and some criminals are even created due to mental illness. But I mostly believe in the choice theory. From the time we are born, we are taught the difference between right and wrong. Parents, relatives, and other authoritative figures in our lives play a direct role in the path to becoming an adult. These same people are a part of what we consider