Theories of the White Collar Offender Grantham University

Richard Sayles
White-Collar Crime
20 March 2012

White-Collar Crime The literature supports that many criminals go through a rational choice process when committing crime. Rational choice theories are among the fastest growing theories in social science today. Many sociologists and political scientists defend the claim that rational choice theory can provide the basis for a unified and comprehensive theory of social behavior. What distinguishes rational choice theory from other forms of theory is that it denies the existence of any kinds of action other than the purely rational and calculative. All social action can be seen as rationally motivated, as instrumental action, however much of it may appear to be irrational or non-rational.

Rational Choice Theory, law-violating behavior should be viewed as an event that occurs when an offender decides to risk violating the law after considering his or her own personal situation need for money, personal values, learning experiences and situational factors how well a target is protected, how affluent the neighborhood is, how efficient the local police happen to be. Before choosing to commit a crime, the reasoning criminal evaluates the risk of apprehension, the seriousness of the expected punishment, the value of the criminal enterprise, and his or her immediate need for criminal gain. Crime prevention or at least crime reduction may be achieved through policies that convince criminals to refrain from criminal activities, delay their actions, or avoid a particular situation. People will engage in criminal and deviant activities if they do not fear apprehension and punishment. Norms, laws, and enforcement are to be designed and implemented to produce and maintain the image that