Transcript Victimization Theories - Washington State University

Rational Choice Theory and
Deterrence Theory
Rational Choice Theory
Deterrence Theory
Prisoner’s Dilemma
Personal Choice
Personal choice
Personal choice
Illustration
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Pick a number between [1 and 9]
Multiply by nine
Add two numbers in your two-digit number
Subtract 5
Personal choice
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An understanding of personal choice is commonly
based on a conception of rationality or rational
choice
The central points of RC theory are:
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(1) The human being is a rational actor
(2) Rationality involves an end/means calculation
(3) People (freely) choose all behaviors, both
conforming and deviant, based on their rational
calculations
(4) The central element of calculation involves a cost
benefit analysis: Pleasure versus Pain,
(5) Choice will be directed towards the maximization
of individual pleasure and minimizing the pain
Should I commit a robbery? (cost/benefit
analysis)
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Costs
Risk (victim might have
a weapon)
Arrest
Public humiliation
Incarceration
Abusive treatment in
prison
Be away from family for
uncertain time
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Benefits
Fast cash
Easy to do
Masculinity Status
Can buy drugs/alcohol
Excitement and thrill
Public/Media attention
Rational Choice Theory
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RC theory hold that individuals must anticipate the
outcomes of alternative courses of action and
calculate which will be best for them
The model
Steal
Earn
Actor
Crime
Borrow
Money
Prison
DEBT
Limited Rationality
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Accurate assessment of situation and anticipation of
all possible outcomes is impossible
Limited rationality refers to the best possible
decision under the circumstance
Burglar cannot calculate the value of property
he/she expects to take away
Most of them do not know the extent of the
punishment
Deterrence Theory
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Rational choice theorists recognize that the threat of
punishment may discourage people from illegal
behavior
That is where deterrence theory comes from….
Deterrence Theory
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If legal penalties are certain, severe, and
swift crime will be deterred
Certainty of punishment is defined as the
ratio between the number of admissions to
the state prisons for a given crime and the
number of those crimes known to the police
Deterrence Theory
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Severity is defined as the mean number of
months served by all persons convicted of a
given crime who were in prison for that year
General Deterrence
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General deterrence focuses on reducing the probability
of deviance in the general population
Norms and laws are designed to produce and maintain
the image that "negative" and disruptive behaviors will
receive attention and punishment
Signs like ”Shoplifters will be prosecuted to the fullest
extent of the law”
Death penalty
Specific Deterrence
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Specific deterrence focuses on punishing known
deviants in order to prevent them from ever again
violating the specific norms they have broken
Examples: sentencing, mandatory arrests for
certain behaviors (domestic violence), etc.
Research on Deterrence Theory
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589 incarcerated property offenders in Tennessee
were interviewed about criminal decision making
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They underestimate the risk of arrest
Routinely overestimate the monetary benefit they expect
to get
Have a vague idea about the severity of punishment
Consideration of long-term risk is almost nonexistent
Research by Hochstetler and Copes
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Interviewed 92 thieves (motor vehicle thieves,
armed robbers, and burglars)
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Thieves admitted that the things they fear most is that
they or their victims may be injured (five interviewees
had suffered serious injuries at the hands of victims)
Even the most brazen armed robbers in this sample had
a great deal of apprehension about confronting victims
who might resist.
Research by Hochstetler and Copes
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One young thief who ventured into rural
areas to steal said:
“I am afraid of owners. Shoot, this is country folk. These people do
not believe in calling the cops. You in their yard stealing something;
they coming out with shotguns. You do not know who’s land you are
on. You do not know who or what they are capable of doing. People
shoot you around here and bury you in their backyard and no one
will ever miss you. …Think about, if you are in their yard stealing
you ain’t telling no one you was going to steal this…This ain’t
organized crime where you got a boss. This is small time stuff. ”
Techniques to manage fear
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Drugs, alcohol, and courage
Incremental actions
Interpersonal influences and co-offending
Cognitive tricks
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Positive thinking +thinking about the ability to sense
trouble, that is rely on intuition
View crime as “exciting” and “thrilling” and think that
not everyone can do that
Rational decision-making of burglars
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Is noticeable in how they select a target
Target Selection. The potential target
must:
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Be unoccupied
Not be easily observed from neighboring
homes
Be in a neighborhood where the burglar
would not “stand out” or be noticed as a
suspicious stranger
Be accessible-really easy to break in
Contains items worth stealing
Accessing Gain
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Size of the house
Well-maintained property
The type of car(s)
Expensive trees and flowers (a gardener’s
truck parked in the street)
Inside information (maids, gardeners, carpet
cleaners,etc)
Assessing Risk
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Alarm systems
Private security patrols
Occupancy
The type of lock installed (deadbolt locks)
Dogs
The victim profile in household burglary
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Highest
<19 years old head of
household
African American/Latino
Income<$15,000
Urban resident
Renter
Six or more people in
households
Resident for less than 6 months
Multifamily unit
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Lowest
65 or older head of
household
White/non-Latino
Income >$75,000
Rural/Suburban
Owner
Live alone
Residents for more than
5years
Single-family unit
Research on Deterrence Theory
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The deterrence hypothesis suggests that states
with the death penalty should have lower homicide
rate
Tittle (1992): states with the death penalty have
higher murder rates than states without it
The reason is that death penalty is implemented in
those states where the murder rate is higher
Death Penalty
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Bonner, Fessenden (2000) found that death
penalty actually increases homicides
Death Penalty has a “brutalization” effect that
tends to devalue human life and thereby
increase homicide
Prisoner’s Dilemma
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Two prisoners committed a crime together
They are both under arrest and unable to
communicate with each other
In order to force a confession, the
authorities offer each prisoner separately,
the following deal:
Prisoner’s Dilemma
PRISONER B
Confess
Do not confess
5 years
9 years
Confess
5 years
PRISONER
A
Do not
confess
Total
-10
Goes
free
Goes
free
9 years
Total
-9
Total
-9
2 years
2 years
Total
-4
Paradox of the Prisoner’s Dilemma
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Both prisoners end up by defecting even
though they both know that they would be
better off cooperating
Each of them thinks that non confessing is
very risky
If one confesses, he may strike lucky (goes
free) or get 5 years, at worst.