Rational Choice Theory

• individuals have free will and the power of reason
• Clarke 1980: the decision to commit crime is a choice based on rational calculation of the likely consequences
• if the perceived rewards of crime outweigh the costs then people will be more likely to commit crime
• Wilson 1975: 'a rational teenager might well conclude that it made more sense to steal cars than to wash them'
• Felson 2002: routine activity theory - for a crime to occur

  1. motivated offender
  2. suitable target
  3. absence of a capable guardian