Rational Choice and Deterrence

Introduction

Section 1 Topic Concept

Deterrence concept assumes that human beings are rational creatures because of their cognitive capabilities. In this case, they weigh the consequences of their actions before doing anything. As a result, they usually avoid engaging in activities that might harm other individuals in society. Therefore, people tend to focus on things that bring pleasure while avoiding pain. Authorities should punish those who commit criminal offenses to prevent such behaviors in the future. Punishment should be costly than the gains that someone can attain by engaging in such activities. This can assist in discouraging people from participating in a crime. In this case, there will be a connection between the mind of the offender and others.

Additionally, there will be a link between crime and punishment. Eventually, crime will be deterred or prevented. It is also evident that crime rates are lower in areas with swift sanctions. However, crime rates might be higher in those areas that lack these sanctions. Authorities must always use the concept of rational choice and deterrence to prevent the occurrence of crimes.

This topic is essential in the field of criminology because of several reasons. First, it helps to reduce crime because of the fear of legal punishment. In this case, consequences of committing crime are more than its benefits. Therefore, it might not be prudent for people to commit crimes. For example, a person might be jailed for engaging in economic crimes.

Moreover, the wealth of such an individual may be confiscated by the government. This means that such a person might suffer a lot than the benefits attained from corruption (Piquero &Raymond Paternoster,2011). The topic will also help people to make good choices that benefit all the people in the community. It will ensure that individuals are not hurt by the consequences of other people’s actions. As a result, people are likely to live in harmony with each other. The concept is also essential in criminology as it helps one to know why people behave in a particular manner. Besides, the principal is vital as it assists policy makers to come up with strategies that can help in reducing crimes in the community. This will significantly help in decreasing crimes. The topic additionally helps the investigators in gathering their evidence before the criminals are prosecuted. For instance, one should weigh whether a person acted rationally before making any choice. It can assist in ensuring that people get a fair hearing before one is judged. Furthermore, the topic is essential in criminology as it trains individuals to obey the law. Crimes will reduce gradually as people continue following the rules of the latter.

Section 2: Journal/News article

The topic on property crimes explains how people make their decisions before committing crimes. Offenders usually participate in crimes after weighing the benefits and rewards of their actions. Therefore, they will commit offenses if the gains of their efforts is more than the costs of engaging in law-breaking activities. In this case, the offender will gain while hurting those who might be affected by such events. The property owners will suffer losses as their assets will benefit the looters.

Additionally, the property crime offender can calculate his or her gains and the punishment that might be awaiting such an individual. Criminals also make decisions like other people before engaging in delinquencies. The decision maker will, therefore, select an alternative that can maximize profits. Property criminals offend the owners through various processes (Paternoster & Fisher, 2017).  The first step is involved in an offense. People engage in property crimes because of their backgrounds and peer group pressure. Majority of these people are influenced by their friends to participate in such activities. Additionally, the criminals continue engaging in crimes if they are not discovered. Therefore, they are likely to continue with their actions until they are noticed.

Research indicates that rational choice is the motivating factor among many property crimes. The offender first calculates the gain or loss expected by engaging in such an action. Their primary objective is to reap maximum benefits from their efforts. The offender also focuses on the type of punishment that is imposed on such crimes. Lenient penalties will encourage people to continue engaging in crimes. Some of these misconducts include stealing or destroying someone’s property. Most of the people who engage in such actions usually use force to commit their offenses. There is also white collar crime that adversely affects the lives of many citizens. It is a situation where those in authority use their positions to accumulate their wealth. As a result, the owner of the business or the state suffers enormous losses. However, most criminals use non-violent means to acquire wealth. Besides, those who engage in customer fraud and tax evasion also fall under this category. Finally, the state should impose stiff penalties on criminals to discourage such behaviors in the future.

The findings on property crimes are essential as they will help in detecting them early. As a result, it will be easier to prevent crime at its initial stage early. The findings can also assist the courts in making their rulings in cases involving property crimes. For instance, they might tighten their penalties to ensure that people fear to engage in such offenses. Additionally, the outcomes will assist in differentiating the different types and how to prevent them before they occur.

Moreover, it can help the government in its attempts to decrease these crimes in the nation. This is because these actions might easily ruin the economy of the country. These findings are also essential as they might help in changing the behavior and attitudes of the general public. From the article, it is evident that some people engage in corruption because of the financial gains they are likely to get from their effort. Most individuals that commit crimes do not care about the effects of their actions. Therefore, they are not rational while making such decisions.

 

The journal is essential in the decision-making process of the offender. First, the culprit can use the cost-benefit analysis before engaging in any crime. As a result, one may steal if there is a benefit from such action (Nagin,2013) The offender can also use the article to decide if the punishment imposed for a particular crime is severe or not. Additionally, the offender can use the journal to understand how the courts arrive at their decisions before making a ruling. This is because most individuals who engage in crimes do not follow the law. The article can also assist the criminal to desist from engaging in criminal activities. It is because of the punishment that the culprits face. This might discourage people from participating in illegal activities.

Section 3: Situations in the real world

Some of the real-life situations relating to the topic comprise of the corruption experienced in various governments across the globe. There are several cases where government officials commit white collar crimes. These scandals involve millions of dollars. The motivating factor behind these offenses is the benefits that the perpetrators get. Most of them conduct a cost-benefit analysis before looting money from the government coffers. In this case, most of them are aware that they can hire the best lawyers and even win the arguments. Others also commit these crimes because the courts are lenient on the culprits (Nagin, 1998). Most of them are released because of sufficient evidence. It is because of the cover-up they do before any investigation commences. These officers continue committing these injustices until they are discovered and arrested. This casemakes the offended persons and entities to lose a substantial amount of resources. However, many governments try to prevent such occurrences by conducting regular audits on how various organizations use their resources. The courts on certain occasions impose heavy penalties on the offenders to prevent them from engaging in such behaviors. They are mainly deterred if the fines exceed the amount of resources one can get from one deal. For instance, someone avoids stealing if he is aware that such funds will be reprocessed by the government. Alternatively, one can prevent such actions if he is aware that he will be jailed for a long duration. As a result, he might not enjoy the money looted by such an individual.

The second example includes murder cases across the globe. The killing of human-beings continues to be a challenge that most individuals that is yet to find a solution. The topic can be useful in determining the type of punishment that the offenders should receive. In most jurisdictions, people face life imprisonment. The issue can also be applied by the investigative agencies to find out the reason for the rising cases of murder across the world. Most of these murders offend the state and the family members of the victim. It is the reason why the parties in a criminal case are the state and the offender. Most of these cases occur because of the differences that exist between people in society (Jacobs,2010). However, real-life experiences show that most of them are as a result of love affairs and issues about money and resources. Besides, the offenders are prohibited from continuing with such actions by being arrested and detained after being suspected. The primary intention is to restrict the movement of these individuals. One of the reasons is to prevent the person from repeating the actions. Besides, some courts can even decide to detain a person until the court gives a ruling on the case. This can also hinder the offender or any other individual who might be having a motive of killing another person.

Moreover, there are cases where people who have violated human-rights by killing others are jailed in the international criminal court. It is a common phenomenon among the leaders who incite the public to violence. However, investigations reveal that some of these leaders gain from these wars by retaining power.

 

References

Jacobs, Bruce A (2010). Deterrence and deterrability. Criminology 48:417-41.

Nagin, Daniel S (1998). Criminal deterrence research at the outset of the twenty-first century. Crime and Justice 23:1-42.

Nagin, Daniel S. (2013). Deterrence: A review of the evidence by a criminologist for economists. Annual Review of Economics 5:83-105.

Nagin, D. S. (2013). Deterrence in the twenty-first century. Crime and Justice, 42(1), 199-263.

Paternoster, R., & Fisher, D. (2017). The Foundation and Re‐emergence of Classical Thought in Criminological Theory: A Brief Philosophical History. The Handbook of the History and Philosophy of Criminology, 173-188.

Piquero, Alex R., Raymond Paternoster, Greg Pogarsky, and Thomas A. Loughran, (2011). Elaborating the individual difference component in deterrence theory. Annual Review of Law and Social Science 7:335-60.

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