Compare and contrast choice theory and routine activities theory. Provide examples

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Choice theory holds that the decision to violate the law comes after a careful weighing of the benefits and costs of criminal behaviors. Most potential law violators would cease their actions if the pain associated with a behavior outweighed the gain; conversely, law-violating behavior seems attractive if the rewards seem greater than the punishment. Delinquents are not the product of a bad environment or difficult life. They choose to commit crime because they find violating the law attractive and not because they are a product of a broken home or troubled family.

According to routine activities theory, developed by Lawrence Cohen and Marcus Felson, the volume and distribution of predatory crimes (violent crimes against persons, and crimes in which an offender attempts to steal an object directly from its holder) in a particular area and at a particular time are influenced by the interaction of three variables: the availability of suitable targets (such as homes containing easily saleable goods), the absence of capable guardians (such as homeowners, police, and security guards), and the presence of motivated offenders (such as unemployed teenagers).