Rational Choice Theory

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Rational Choice Theory January 31, 2008 five suspects are charged with first-degree murder, battery, and unlawful restraint of Dorothy Dixon, a pregnant, developmentally disabled woman. Dixon was beaten, shot with a BB gun, and scalded with hot liquid. Her killers were Judy Woods, 43; Michelle Riley, 35; Michael J. Elliott, 18; Benny Lee Wilson, 16; and Leshelle McBride, 15. While this violence seems irrational and committed by monsters with no conscious, even the most violent criminals choose vulnerable targets that are least well protected and do not pose a threat. In order to further understand why people commit violent crimes we explore rational choice theory and ask ourselves is crime rational? People commit very aggressive violent crimes all the time while knowing there is a chance that if their caught there will be some form of consequence. They plan out there actions only after weighing the outcome and consequences of following through with the crime. This process of deciding whether or not to commit the crime is known as “Rational Choice Theory”. In rational choice theory, the main concept is that no one acts violently or behaves defiantly on just impulse. For example, in the movie “Set It Off” The bank robbers planned out their crime only after extensively thinking it over several times. They argued amongst each other whether the need for money, to get out of the hood and escape their various life problems, was a good enough reason to risk their lives robbing a bank. After the bickering, (weighing the cost v benefits), it was decided that their gain was enough to risk it and they committed the robbery using wigs and masks. They succeeded with that robbery and became confident that they could do it again and went on to commit several more robberies. They were eventually unmasked with the help of a determined police officer. In an attempt to flee the

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