Classical, Rational Choice and Opportunity Theories

Theories that treat offending as a reasoned choice shaped by the immediate costs, benefits and physical opportunities of a situation rather than by the offender's biology, psychology or social background, spanning the eighteenth century Classical School through its late twentieth century revival as Rational Choice Theory, Routine Activity Theory, Situational Crime Prevention, Environmental Criminology and Broken Windows Theory. Belongs here: any theory whose central claim is that crime rises or falls with the calculated balance of risk and reward, the availability of a suitable target, or the physical and social features of a place. Does not belong here: theories that locate the cause of offending inside the offender's biology or psychology rather than the situation, grouped under Biological and Positivist Theories, or theories that trace offending to strain, social bonds or peer learning, grouped under Social Structure and Strain Theories or Social Process Theories.