Criminals Essay -- Social Issues, Rape, Non Consensual Sex

Criminals. The very word stands to threaten the stability and security of the individual and society at large. Thus dating back to 1760 , our understanding of the nature of crime and our ability to manage it has generated much discussion. Often we see the words â€Å"senseless acts† splashed across newspaper reports. However as suggested by early rational choice theorist Becarria, Crime is the outcome of choice; a calculated process of weighing up the costs against the benefits in order to maximise pleasure and minimise pain (Bernard et al. 2010). Given that specific crimes are committed with specific purposes, it makes little sense to construct broad categories of crime (Pateboster 2001). Each crime is so intricate and distinct we need to consider the offenders perspective, to understand the state of mind and play that underpins each particular offence. Rape and drunk driving, are profound examples of how different crimes compared to each other and within themselves have vastly different motives. Important to this is the offenders background and varying perceptions of costs and benefits. By tuning into these differences between offences and offenders, enables us to implement effective policies, as they hone in on the direct causes of how and why people commit crime. In order to fully understand criminal decisions, we must capture both sides of the equation; the costs as well as the benefits (Ward et al. 2006). When comparing rape, non-consensual sexual intercourse that is committed by physical force, threat of injury, or other duress, with drunk driving, driving over the legal limit of blood to alcohol level, their definitions highlight the different nature of each ... ...itive shortcuts and fail to acknowledge the full scope of costs and benefits (Pateboster 2001). Thus is it wise to conclude, that crime can not be managed effectively without close study of the dynamic nature of individual crimes from individual perspectives. A comparison of Rape and drunk driving illustrates how perceptions of costs and benefits, certainty and severity, legal and extralegal consequences, will vary across offences and offenders. Crime is thus multifactorial and complex. To construct broad programs and policies would be ill informed and ineffective. It is clear that one size can not fit all. If we as a society wish to understand crime we must continue to understand it from the offender’s perspective . To a large extent this understanding is everything. The safety, security and cohesion of our society depends on it.