Discussion board

ChoiceDF1: Rational Choice It’s time to discuss Mikey Dowd and the officers of the 75th! Please discuss the following using R&B and the Rational Choice theories powerpoint as your guide: Where do we see Officer Dowd and the others of the 75th Precinct engage in the process of weighing the costs and benefits of their crimes? Provide examples for your response with timestamps from the documentary. Studies on rational choice show that while official/formal sanctions tend to have some effect on individuals decisions to commit crime, they almost always are relatively unimportant compared with extralegal/informal factors. What were some of the important extralegal and informal factors for Dowd/Chickie and the other officers featured in the documentary? The influence of peers has a profound impact on individual perceptions of the pros and cons of offending. What were the important peer influences for the officers of the 75th Precinct? The most important finding of rational choice research was of the expected benefits–Particularly the pleasure gained from offending, as one of the most significant influences in decisions to commit crimes. Using this perspective, can we see evidence of pleasure gained from offending from any of the officers of the 75th Precinct? Lastly, what do you think of the explanatory power of Rational Choice theory to help us understand why Mike Dowd and the others chose to turn away from their roles as upstanding, law abiding members of society and instead engage in these crimes?