RATIONAL CHOICE & TRAIT THEORY

KENENE SENIOR
MONEAGUE COLLEGE
LEARNING OBJECTIVES

 Understand the concept of Rational Choice

 Know the work of Beccaria
 Understand the concept of ‘just deserts’
 Critique the Classical Rational Choice and Trait theory explanations of juvenile delinquency
RATIONAL CHOICE THEORY
CESARE BECCARIA (1738-1794)
 Beccaria was a criminologist and economist.
 In 1764, he published his famous criminology essay, “On Crime and Punishments”
anonymously for fear of public backlash.

 In actuality, it was well-received, which resulted in Beccaria republishing it, this time
crediting himself as the author.
 Three tenets served as the basis of Beccaria’s theories on criminal justice:
 free will
 rational manner
 manipulability.
 According to Beccaria free will enables people to make choices. Beccaria believed that
people have a rational manner and apply it toward making choices that will help them
achieve their own personal gratification.
CESARE BECCARIA (1738-1794) CONT’D

 In Beccaria’s interpretation, law exists to preserve the social contract and benefit society as a whole. But, because people
act out of self-interest and their interest sometimes conflicts with societal laws, they commit crimes.  
 The principle of MANIPULABILITY refers to the predictable ways in which people act out of rational self-interest and
might therefore be dissuaded from committing crimes if the punishment outweighs the benefits of the crime, rendering the
crime an illogical choice.
 In "On Crimes and Punishments," Beccaria identified a pressing need to reform the criminal justice system, citing the then-
present system as barbaric and antiquated. He went on to discuss how specific laws should be determined, who should
make them, what they should be like and whom they should benefit. He emphasized the need for adequate but just
punishment, and went so far as to explain how the system should define the appropriate punishment for each type of crime.
 "On Crimes and Punishments" sought to protect the rights of criminals as well as the rights of their victims. "On Crimes
and Punishments" also assigned specific roles to the various members of the courts. The thorough treatise included a
discussion of crime-prevention strategies.
CESARE BECCARIA CONT’D

 Beccaria’s theories, as expressed in his treatise "On Crimes and Punishments,"

have continued to play a role in recent times. Recent policies impacted by his
theories include, but are not limited to, truth in sentencing, swift punishment
and the abolishment of the death penalty in some U.S. states.
RATIONAL CHOICE THEORY

 Proponents: Philosophers Cesare Beccaria (1738-1794) and Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832)

 Considered a Choice Theory- assumption that humans can exercise free will and that people make rational decisions.
 Based on the fundamental tenets of classical criminology, which hold that people freely choose their behaviour and are motivated by the avoidance of pain
and the pursuit of pleasure.
 The central premise of this theory is that people are rational beings whose behaviour can be controlled or modified by a fear of punishment. In this way, it
is believed offenders can be persuaded to desist from offending by intensifying their fear of punishment. In terms of setting the quantum of punishment,
according to this theory, sanctions should be limited to what is necessary to deter people from choosing crime (Siegel and McCormick, 2006).
 Rational choice is premised on a utilitarian belief that actions are based on a conscious evaluation of the utility of acting in a certain way. This perspective
assumes that crime is a personal choice, the result of individual decision-making processes. This means that individuals are responsible for their choices
and thus individual offenders are subject to blame for their criminality.

 According to this view, delinquents choose to act improperly, just as non-delinquents choose to act properly. These theories suggest that youths choose to
behave in certain ways based on personal desires such as revenge, survival, greed, or ethics.
JUST DESERTS
JUST DESERTS CONT’D

 Just deserts, as a philosophy of punishment, argues that criminal sanctions should be commensurate with the
seriousness of the offense (Sloan & Miller, 1990)
 The concept of just deserts seeks to preserve human dignity through punishment. It asserts that a person is a
rational individual with the free will to make a moral choice whether or not to engage in conduct known to be
prohibited. Retribution under a just deserts principle treats a defendant as a dignified human being by responding
to his or her conduct in a way that respects his or her choice to engage in wrongful behavior (Starkweather, 1991).
TRAIT THEORY

 The view that criminals have physical or mental traits that make them different or abnormal
 William Sheldon suggested somatotype (body-build) makes people susceptible to delinquent behavior
 Mesomorphs – muscular/athletic (aggression)
 Ectomorphs – tall/thin (intellectual)
 Endomorphs – heavy/slow (fences)
FOUNDATIONS OF TRAIT THEORY

 Modern Trait Theories

 Each offender is mentally and physically unique
 Humans do not posses equipotentiality (equal potential to learn and achieve)
 People develop physical or mental traits at birth or soon after that affect their social functioning over the life course and their
behavior choices
FIGURE 5.1 BIOSOCIAL PERSPECTIVES ON CRIMINALITY
BIOLOGICAL TRAIT THEORIES

 Biochemical Conditions and Crime

 Some trait theorists suggest biochemical factors contribute to criminality
 Chemical and Mineral Influences: Over-or undersupply of certain chemicals and minerals are associated with antisocial
behaviors
 Diet and Crime: (depression, mania, cognitive problems, memory loss, or abnormal sexual behavior)
 Sugar and Crime: Linked to violence/aggression
 Hypoglycemia: blood glucose falls below necessary levels for normal brain functioning
BIOLOGICAL TRAIT THEORIES

 Genetics and Crime

 Some trait theorists suggest personality traits may be genetically determined
 XYY theory in the 1970s believed to be associated with violent crime in males
 Parental Deviance: children inherit criminal tendencies from their criminal parents
 Sibling Similarities: The effect appears greatest among same sex siblings
 Twin Behavior: identical twins (monozygotic) research suggests criminal tendencies are due to genes and not environment
(findings are controversial)
 Adoption Studies: research supports a genetic basis for criminality (Mednick)
CRITIQUE OF BIOLOGICAL TRAIT THEORIES

 Evaluation of the Biological Branch of Trait Theory

 Critics charge biological theories are racist and dysfunctional
 Biological explanations do not account for geographical variations in crime
 Lack of empirical testing
PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAIT THEORIES

 Defective intelligence (Charles Goring) Crime could be controlled by regulating reproduction of the feebleminded
 Psychodynamic: Freud suggested people carry the residue of childhood attachments that guide future interpersonal
relationships
 ID (pleasure principal): unconscious biological urges for food, sex and other life-sustaining necessities
 Ego (reality principal): helps guide the actions of the Id within boundaries of social convention
 Superego (conscience): the moral aspect of one’s personality
 Eros: the most basic drive present at birth
 Conflicts during psychosexual stages of development may lead to “fixations”
PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAIT THEORIES

 Psychodynamics of Abnormal Behavior

 Inferiority complex (Adler): People with a drive for superiority
 Bipolar disorder: Moods alternate between depression and elation
 Disruptive Behavior Disorder (DBD) includes Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD): Defiance toward authority figures
 Conduct Disorder (CD) More serious and viewed as severely anti-social
PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAIT THEORIES

 Crime and Mental Illness

 Personality disorders are referred to as psychosis
 Paranoid Schizophrenia: Delusions of wrongdoing and persecution
 Despite evidence of mental illness: Recidivism among mentally disordered is less than the general population
PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAIT THEORIES

 Behavioral Theory
 Human actions are developed through learning experiences
 Social Learning Theory: Social learning theorists argue that people learn aggression through life experiences
 Violence is learned via behavior modeling (family interaction, environmental experiences, and mass media)
 An event that heightens arousal
 Aggressive skills
 Expected outcomes
 Consistency of behavior with values
PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAIT THEORIES

 Cognitive Theory
 Focuses on how people perceive and mentally represent the world around them and solve problems
 Moral development: (Jean Piaget) People obey the law to avoid punishment
 Humanistic psychology: Self-awareness approach
 Information Processing: How people process, store, encode, retrieve, and manipulate information
PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAITS AND CHARACTERISTICS

 Personality and Crime

 Personality: is the reasonably stable patterns of behavior, thoughts, and emotions that distinguish one person from another.
 Research has identified personality traits such as extroversion and introversion (Eysenck)
 Antisocial personality/psychopathy/sociopathy: are antisocial persons suffering defects or aberrations
 Research on personality: Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)
PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAITS AND CHARACTERISTICS

 Intelligence and Crime

 Some trait theorists argue that criminals have a below average IQ
 Nature Theory (Goddard): argues that intelligence is determined genetically
 Nurture Theory: argues that intelligence is primarily sociological
 IQ and criminality: Reemerged in 1977 with research by Travis Hirschi and Michael Hindelang.
 Cross national studies: Research with Danish children suggest a relationship between IQ and delinquency
 Richard Herrnstein and Charles Murray suggest criminal offenders have an average IQ of 92
 Critics charge the link between IQ and criminality is weak
FIGURE 5.2 PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES ON CRIMINALITY
PUBLIC POLICY IMPLICATIONS OF TRAIT THEORY

 Important influence on crime control and prevention programs

 Primary prevention programs seek to treat personal problems before they manifest into criminal behavior
 Secondary prevention programs provide treatment after one has violated the law
 Use of mood-altering chemicals such as lithium, pemoline, imipramine, phenytoin, benzodiazepines to control behavior
REFERENCES

 https://www.biography.com/scholar/cesare-beccaria
 Siegal, L and C. McCormick. (2006). Criminology in Canada: Theories, Patterns, and Typologies (3rd ed.).
Toronto: Thompson, Nelson.
 Sloan, J. J., & Miller, J. L. (1990). Just Deserts, The Severity Of Punishment And Judicial Sentencing
Decisions. Criminal Justice Policy Review, 4(1), 19–38. https://doi.org/10.1177/088740349000400102
 Starkweather, D. A. (1991). The Retributive Theory of Just Deserts and Victim Participation in Plea
Bargaining. Ind. LJ, 67, 853.