Exam 4: Rational Choice Theory

British philosopher Jeremy Bentham helped popularize the view of utilitarianism.

Curfew laws have been overwhelmingly effective at reducing crime rates.

According to theorist ____________, "utilitarian calculus" is the idea that people choose to act when, after weighing costs and benefits, they believe that their actions will bring them an increase in pleasure and a reduction of pain.

Most burglars prefer to commit crimes in neighborhoods that contain a greater than usual number of access streets. These neighborhoods are referred to as _____ neighborhoods.

Beccaria believed that humans were naturally:

Officer Smith with the Charleston, South Carolina, police department begins motorcycle patrols in an effort to reduce public intoxication offenses in the downtown area. The increased police presence reduces public intoxication offenses in downtown Charleston, but in neighboring communities a spike in these offenses occurs. This is an example of:

Adding a security guard to reduce shoplifting in a department store is an example of a crime:

Bruce Jacobs is credited with coining the term general deterrence in his 1973 study on police use of force and crime reduction in New York City.

Who wrote Seductions of Crime , a book that argues that there are immediate benefits to criminality?

There is no evidence to suggest that sexual offenses are rational.

The philosophy of ___________________ asserts that those who violate the rights of others deserve to be punished.

Discuss the work of Cesar Beccaria and the impact his writings had on the criminal justice system.

________ argues that punishing an offender will prevent that offender from committing the same crime again.

A person's ability to intentionally make choices based on free will is referred to as _____.

Explain how drug use may be the result of rational choice. Provide specific examples to support your response.

The theory of __________________ holds that criminal sanctions should be so powerful that known criminals will never repeat their criminal acts.

Beccaria believed that criminals chose to commit crime, and that criminal choices could be controlled by:

If petty offenses were subject to the same punishment as more serious crimes, offenders would choose the worst crime: this is referred to as the concept of: