a rational choice process when committing crime. The

purpose of this paper is to show why the legal system of the

United States is based on this theory, and why it is a

strong basis for the justice system. This paper will focus

on burglary, and the various surveys collected to support

The justice system of the United States is based

heavily on the works of Jeremy Bentham (1748 - 1833) and

Cesare Beccaria (1738 - 1794). Their idea of criminology

was a utilitarian one that came to be known as the classical

school. This theory was based heavily on the underlying

theory of rational choice. Rational Choice Theory states

that criminals utilize a "hedonistic calculus" when

attempting crimes. That is that they weigh rationally the

good and bad consequences of their actions, and conclude

whether or not committing the crime is a good calculated

risk. Many crimes, however, seem to be completely

irrational, which would not support this theory. The

purpose of this paper is to explain which crimes this theory

of the crime) (Cornish and Clark, 1986b).

covering not only the face, but preferably altering the body

Some crimes are more difficult to explain using

Crime Prevention Through Environmental design. He believed

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2545
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)