List three critiques leveled against rational-choice theories.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

One issue is the assumption of rationality made by these theories. Because we can’t really assess the rationality of those who commit criminal acts at the time they are committing them, these theories may assume facts not in evidence. Think about crimes committed under the influence of alcohol of drugs, or other situations in which people become enraged and act without thinking. Do rational choice theories apply here? It may be a relatively small number of criminal acts that can be explained by these theories.
Another problem is that theories have been used to justify punitive policies, which have been shown to be dismal failures. Although the political use of these theories by others is not a critique of the theories themselves, the failure of many theorists and researchers in this area to clarify what their research suggests is problematic.
Finally, there is a question about whether CPTED and SCP actually reduce crime or just move it from one area to another. Others argue that by designing public spaces to deter crime, we treat citizens as would-be offenders, further fragmenting communities and tearing at the social fabric. Actions such as placing hard benches to reduce loitering, installing closed-circuit TV cameras everywhere, and encouraging neighborhood watch contribute to a surveillance society in which people are encouraged to be suspicious of one another and further contribute to a breakdown in informal social control and increasing dependence on the police and other state agents to control crime.