Why do you think people commit crime? Are you more of a conservative or a liberal? Based on your theory, what would you recommend as a deterrent to control crime?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Conservatives believe, simply, that crime is a product of individual choice. That is, people supposedly weigh the costs and benefits associated with committing crime and then act on the basis of the information they have. This rational choice perspective is sometimes called the classical criminological paradigm, or the classical school. If it is assumed that people make rational choices, then deterrence-oriented policies should be adopted.

Liberals believe that crime is a product not of individual choices but of environmental factors. That is, liberals discount the notion of rational decision-making and point to a number of other explanations for crime. These include peer influence, dysfunctional families, blocked opportunities, stigmatization, and a host of other causes of crime.

Some people buy into both perspectives to varying degrees. A middle-of-the-road take on liberal and conservative explanations for crime might be something like this: People make rational decisions, but their rationality is limited by environmental factors. Another centrist view could be that people are heavily influenced by their environments; anyone who is not mentally defective to some extent gives at least some thought to his or her actions.

Crime control for the more liberal approach could include target hardening and improving some of the social influences that correlate with an increase in crime.