A configurative synthesis of evidence for fear in the criminal decision-making process

Abstract

There is now a considerable body of theoretical and empirical research concerned with offender decision-making (see Bernasco, Van Geder and Elffers, 2017). Research has focused on a variety of offender decisionswhether to commit crime or not, where, when, howas well as documenting those factors reliably found to affect criminal choices. The rational choice perspective has emerged as the dominant model of offender decision-making (Cornish and Clarke, 2008). It holds that crime is a choice, and that individuals are more likely to commit crime if the anticipated rewards exceed the perceived risks and effort. The first incarnation of the rational choice perspective deemphasized the role (and source) of offender motivation. It assumed a state of readiness on the part of the offender and focused instead on situational contingencies that might make a motivated offender more or less likely to engage in crime. Later elaborations paid greater attention