no theory can singly and adequately explain all types of delinquency and crime
A crime is an action or offence that merits condemnation by society and punishment, often by way of imprisonment or fine. There have been several discussions from various quarters regarding crime and the factors that lead to the same. Likewise, there has been a lot of talking regarding ways of wiping out crime. Crime is an aspect of society that has always been there. Jones et al. (2003) state that crime will always exist as long as the causes are not dealt with suitably. Preventing these causes implies that most of the crimes that exist in modern society can be stopped even before they occur. Nevertheless, stopping crime may include assessing the factors that cause crime, including poverty, lack of education, and peer pressure. With these in mind, there has been the development of theories that try to explain the occurrence of crimes. Although isolated, these theories have tried to provide empirical insight into significant factors expected and perceived to explain crime and delinquency. It is prudent to note that no theory can singly and adequately explain all types of delinquency and crime or all the variations in delinquency and crime. Therefore, this has led to the need to integrate theories in the hopes of explaining these concepts.
One of the most common theories that explain the occurrence of crime is the rational choice theory. This theory is based on the basic tenets of classic criminology. These tenets hold that individuals freely choose their behavior. The choices are often motivated by the need to pursue pleasure and avoid pain. Many people evaluate their choices and actions according to the option that is likely to produce the most pleasure, happiness, and advantage (Loughran et al., 2016). This theory provides a perspective on why offenders decide to commit particular crimes. It asserts that people choose to commit crimes because it may be easy, satisfying, rewarding, and fun. The central premise of this theory is that human beings are rational beings whose behaviors can be modified and controlled by their fear of punishment. Therefore, the theory posits that offenders can be persuaded to avoid getting into crime by intensifying their fear of punishment. However, the sanctions of punishment are only limited to what is necessary to deter potential offenders from choosing to engage in crime.
Rational choice theory is based on the classical school of thought of utilitarian belief founded on the assertion on the conscious evaluation of the utility of acting in a particular way. Therefore, this theory assumes that crime is a personal choice that stems from the individual decision-making process. As such, it assumes that one is responsible for their choices and that individual offenders should be blamed for their criminality (Newman and Clarke, 2016). Therefore, regarding offending, the theory posits that offenders often weigh the potential consequences of committing an offence including the chances of getting caught, value to be gained from the act, or the expected penalty. As such, when an offender perceives the cost to be too high, or the action to be too risky, or the benefit to be too little, they are likely not to commit the act.
The victim precipitation theory also attempts to explain the occurrence of crime. It is a theory that asserts that a victim is often an active participant in perpetrating a crime. According to Spalek (2016), the victim perpetrates the crime by provoking the offender. Therefore, the victim also bears responsibility for the crime. The behavior of the victim initiates the action of the offender in what is known as precipitation. It is prudent to note that victim precipitation has often been considered to be victim-blaming. However, victim precipitation looks at the victim’s behavior without any insinuation of guilt. Victim precipitation may be passive or active. Passive precipitation is considered when the victim unknowingly provokes the victimizer, perhaps through their traits threatening the offender and encouraging them to act defiantly or violently. Active precipitation, on the other hand, occurs when the victim acts deliberately in a manner that provokes the offender.
Regarding criminal control and deterrence, the rational choice theory is often applied. In this case, deterrence is usually based on the doctrine that a community or population is likely to be deterred from committing a crime after they witness the punishment of certain individuals or an individual for committing an act. This underscores the relationship between rational choice theory and social learning theory (Burns and Roszcowska, 2016). It shows that individuals are likely to learn from an observation about the consequences of their crimes. However, the theory also asserts that the punishment should be balanced with the crime regardless of individual differences. Besides, there should be a consideration for the rights of the individual. Therefore, as a classical criminological theory, the rational choice theory was designed to provide a logical, philosophical, and rational alternative to what would be considered a cruel, abusive, inhumane, and arbitrary criminal justice system. Since it is mainly centered on choice, it puts the entire burden of deviance on the offender. By taking responsibility for their crime, the criminal may be encouraged to make better choices.