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Crime Theories

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Crime Theories
Marcelino Sanchez
CJA/204
12-06-11
Frank Juarez

Crime Theories
The choice theory has an important role to play when considering the reasons leading to a criminal activity. This theory has its own importance while creating strategies for controlling or reducing crime. For this, it is important to understand the theory and how it affects the possibility of someone taking part in criminal activity and how an attempt to control crime would take place under choice theory. Choice theory has derived from the works of early theorists, Cesare Beccaria and Jeremy Bentham. The Choice Theory obviously affects how society would deter criminal acts.
The choice theory of criminology is also known as the classical theory. The fundamental concepts of this theory are that people select all behavior, including criminal behavior. People's choices can be controlled by many factors such as the fear of punishment or the benefits which are attained by doing the crime or an illegal activity. So it implies that the more severe, certain, and swift the punishment, the greater is the possibility to control criminal behavior. The choice theory in relation to criminology, states about punishment, and its effects on criminal behavior. According to choice theory, punishment should have four main objectives. The first and the most important is to prevent all criminal offenses. The second objective is that when it cannot prevent a crime, it should persuade the offender to commit a lesser crime. The third objective is to ensure that a criminal uses no more force than is necessary. And the fourth objective is to prevent crime as cheaply as possible. In the 1970s, the choice theory came about when the classical theory became popular again. XXXXX XXXXX, who was a political scientist, argued that efforts should be made to reduce criminal opportunity by discouraging would-be

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