Right realism

• key idea of right realism

  right realists base their views on rational choice theory (RCT) criminals are rational actors who weigh up the risks and rewards before deciding whether to commit crimes
• Strengths of right realism

  • Several studies support RCT. Rettig found that the degree of punishment determined whether individuals chose to commit crimes
  • Feldman found that people made rational decisions if the rewards was high and risks low, they said crime was worth committing
  • may explain some opportunistic petty crimes such as theft
• Limitation of Right realism

  • Rettig and Feldman’s studies were experiments; the results may not apply to real offenders.
  • Bennett and wright studied unsuccessful burglars. we don’t know if successful ones felt the same
  • not all crimes are the result of rational decisions. Violent crimes are often impulsive