Criminology Theory: Deterrence And Rational Choice Theory

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Recommended: The effectiveness of the death penalty

Akers, Ronald L. "Deterrence and Rational Choice Theories." Criminology Theories Introduction and Evaluation. 2nd ed. New York: Roxbury, 1999. Print.

Akers tells of how punishment and the deterrent of crime are related. He states that all individuals have the free will to choose whether or not they are going to commit a crime, some of the things keeping them from committing those crimes are the legal penalties and the likelihood of one being caught. He continues to explain how some punishments for crimes are too severe and are simply unjust, they do nothing to deter crime, as well as punishments that are not severe enough. There were also many studies done concerning as to how capital punishment influenced the number of homicides when the law was and was not abolished, they found no change in homicide rate. …show more content…

The studies shown before and after the abolishment of capital punishment show no change in the number of homicides committed during those times. This may be a case where the punishment is a bit too much, or in other words, unjust.

The studies given on capital punishment support part of the idea as to the fact that capital punishment should be federally banned in the United States, due to the fact that the punishment is supposed to be enforced in order to deter crime, but the studies show that it has no effect. We have alternative punishments that can be enforced rather than capital punishment, in order to deter and contain the crime rate.

Bedau, Hugo, ed. Death Penalty in America Current Controversies. Oxford: Oxford U, 1997.

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