Week 2: Rationalizing and Justifying Crime—Cognitive Theories of Criminal Behavior

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 According to cognitive theories, why do seemingly “good” people commit crimes?  Are you immune from committing a crime? Would you—or could you—commit a

crime if you were able to reasonably support doing so? Apply cognitive concepts and theories of criminal behavior to explain why seemingly “good” people commit crimes. You also reflect on whether you could commit a crime yourself under the right circumstances.

Week Two Discussion: Why Good People Do Bad Things

“Cognitive psychology is the study of how we perceive, think, remember, and make a decision” (Lyon & Welsh, 2017).

Hello Everyone,

There are many reasons why people who may not normally commit a crime turns to commit a crime. For instance, a mother with no means or help to feed her children; may steal, or someone hurting your child and you retaliate by harming that person. I think that just because there are laws or socially correct rules, we need to abide by it does not mean that there are not times when it is justifiable to break those rules.

Rational Choice Theories

A rational choice perspective views the criminal as a thinking person who weighs up the possible costs and advantages of a crime. It is referred to as ‘Bounded Rationality’, this explains the rationale that people act within the limits of their situation, the information available, and the pressure of the situation (Steele, 2015). For example, a drug abuser will rationalize stealing money that they would not have stolen if not for their need for the drug. Even though they know this behavior is wrong they rationalize it by the need to feed their addiction.

Would I or Could I Commit a Crime

Criminal thinking or cognitive processes and content is how an offender makes possible the initiation and maintenance of their criminal behavior (Lyon & Welsh, 2017). With some people, it is all they know because it is all they see within their home environment or neighborhood. With others, it is what they grow to learn by the influence of their peers, etc. While some are just put in situations where it may seem they have no other choice.

Not only would I commit a crime; I have! I have committed many traffic violations from speeding to not wearing my seatbelt. The worst way I have committed a crime was many years ago and I was acting out of anger and hurt. I just reacted without really thinking about the consequences of my actions and was lucky that charges were never pressed on me. I had gotten mad at my boyfriend at the time and when I knew he was going to be out of town I had his home robbed. I am not proud of that behavior and was able to make amends with that person a couple of years ago. But, at the time I rationalized this act with a hurt and angry state of mind. I even called him just to tell him I had it done. I knew it was wrong but felt justified because he hurt me emotionally. This theory of criminal thinking is referred to as a mixed thinking perspective (Steele, 2015). Today I feel terrible about what I had done, but the damage is done, and I can never take it back. Today I rationalize the behavior with I was young, and it

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was a learning experience. But the fact is I knew it was wrong then just like I know it is wrong today.

References

Lyon, D. R., & Welsh, A. (2017). The psychology of criminal and violent behavior. (Ch. 8). (pp. 173-200). Don Mills, Canada: Oxford University Press.

Steele, R. (2015). How offenders make decisions: Evidence of rationality. British Journal of Community Justice, 13(3), 7-20.

Niemietz, B. (2019, April 10). A 7-Eleven owner could have called the cops on a hungry teenager he caught stealing candy. Instead, he gave the kid a meal. New Your Daily News. Retrieved from https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ny-news-teenager-stealing-food-7- 11-20190410=o4keogheqzgmvf6jjhnen2gstu-story-html