Rational Choice Theory: Why Do People Do Crime?

Many Scholars have asked ‘Why do people do crime?’ Many theories have been discussed through history and though they may seem to work with most crimes, no one theory works with every crime. Rational Choice Theory generally is not compared with violent crimes. In the case of rape I feel that Rational Choice Theory is the best theory to explain why people do it. The UCLA Women’s Law Journal says that “The United States has the world’s second highest rate of reported rape. About sixteen to eighteen percent of American women and one to three percent of American men have experienced an attempted or completed rape” (Rhode). It is hard to believe that someone who thinks rationally could do such a heinous crime but the fact of the matter is that rationally thinking people do rape and in fact it happens a lot more than most people think.
Rational choice theory says criminals look at the cost and benefits of doing a crime and will …show more content…
The definition of forcible rape has not been changed since the 1920s. The old definition said that the canval knowledge of a female forcibly against her will. The nation felt that this old definition did not go into enough detail and did not accurately depict modern days meaning of forcible rape. The new definition states that the penetration no matter how slight of the vagina or anus with anybody part or object by sex organ or by another person without the consent of the victim. One in five women and one in sixteen men are sexually assaulted while in college. Rape is the most underreported crime. 63% of sexual assaults are not reported to the police. Also only 12% of child sexual abuse is reported to the authorities as well. The percentage of false reporting is between two and ten percent. “Terror and force can prevent a woman from resisting at all; she may be paralyzed (the fright and flight reaction)”