Criminology

Crime Prevention Framework
Crime is a voluntary act which any individual or groups may choose to commit or not. Commission of a crime is a rational act which means that a potential criminal examines his target, contemplates the success or failure of his planned act, and identifies the effects to be equipped to take advantage of the illegal opportunities based on the existing situations. An element of personal choice exists in the commission of a crime which is based on the concept of rationality. The concept of rationality is rooted on the fact that human being is a rational actor, he acts based on his rational calculations which involve the choice of pain versus pleasure, and his choice is directed towards achieving pleasure. Hence choice can be controlled or manipulated through the perception of potential pain or punishment attached to the crime. As a consequence crime may be controlled or eliminated by persuading potential offenders that committing a crime would only cause deprivation and suffering. Except for irrational individuals who would risk serious punishment and attack a well-defended target, most individuals would examine the target sites and situations and determine the factors which draw people to such sites and situations so that they can take advantage of the illegal activities which these sites or situations offer.

Hence it is only logical to agree that focused deterrent approaches such as altering the opportunity structure and motivations of a potential criminal by increasing the efforts, increasing the risks, reducing the rewards and provocations, and lastly removing excuses will prevent the commission of a crime (Tillyer, 2007). Such approaches work not only for individuals but also for groups because they usually commit crimes in a well-planned manner considering all the situational factors that may affect the success or failure of the potential crime.  However such manipulations or management is limited only to highly specific kinds of offence and does not include presumptive nature of motives for other classes of crimes such as sexual offences and violent crimes. In some instances, criminals are desperate individuals who suffer psychological disorders and innate emotional defects which render them incapable of perceiving the severity of the consequences of the crime committed, nevertheless crime may still be prevented by applying intervention measures designed to deflect not the assessment of a potential criminal but the act of crime itself.