Sometimes considered a disorder, shoplifting regards stealing goods from an establishment, usually a shop while pretending to be a client. In the past, the act has been attributed to multiple causes, including, among others, environmental, psychological, and biological factors. However, rational choice theory disregards all these factors or claims by asserting that like legal behaviors, criminal acts are not determined by environmental, psychological, or biological factors acting on individuals, compelling them to commit crimes. Thus, it argues that an individual voluntarily and willfully chooses to commit a criminal act such as retail theft or shoplifting he or she can choose to do other legal activities such as working in the same shop to get money. Notably, this is the best explanation for shoplifting acts. According to this theory, shoplifting, therefore, is a product of choice, meaning that an individual decides whether or not to commit the crime or act. An individual with an agency acts as if he or she has free will or free choice over the course of action he or she should pursue – he or she acts as an agent on his or her behalf. Usually, before deciding to shoplift, a shoplifter will consider the benefits and consequences of committing the act. For instance, a shoplifter lacking sugar will most likely think in the following manner: ‘I need sugar, but I do not have money, and at the same time, I am hungry. Working will need a lot of energy, and maybe by the time I will be done with the task, I will have died from hunger. On the contrary, being brave and wise can get me the sugar within no minute. So, the best thing would be to shoplift. While the only consequence of shoplifting is that I would get caught and be punished, the benefit would be that if not caught, I will save my life and avoid dying of hunger. Why then should I engage myself in work whose consequence can be the loss of my life?’ From the example, it is apparent that the shoplifter has weighed his available option and rationally decided that the best way to go about getting the sugar is to steal it from a shop.
The Rational Choice theory explains, in detail, how and why shoplifters shoplift. In particular, the theory provides the best explanation to the phenomenon as it explains what always goes in the mind of a shoplifter whenever he wants to shoplift. Besides, it explains the various options the shoplifter has at the time he or she decides to shoplift. Unlike other theories tying criminal offenses to psychological, environmental, and social factors, the rational choice theory is highly practical and seems much more realistic. To substantiate this, why do most shoplifters hide themselves or the stollen goods after committing the act? Without any doubt, it is because they understand the consequences of getting caught? For them to understand, they must have had a prior meditation on their intended act before committing it.
Yes, the rational choice theory explains all the occurrences of the criminal act, shoplifting. Notably, this is because the theory also touches on why individuals commit to engaging in illegal acts only sometimes and not the other times? In other words, it addresses the question of why sometimes a shoplifter would decide to work over shoplifting. The theory answers this by explaining that in determining whether or not to commit crimes, individuals are often guided by the consideration of benefits and costs of a criminal act and the benefits and cost of the alternative, noncriminal behavior. Therefore, whenever they decide to go with criminal behavior, it means that the benefits outweigh the cost even after consideration of the benefits versus the costs of opting for the noncriminal one.
To test the Rational Choice theory and determine if it can prove correct, I would pick three random guys from the street. I would then ask them the following question: Given a chance to work in a company selling an item you have always wanted to have; however, working will take you a minimum of six months before you can accumulate the amount of money equivalent to the item’s price, would you take the offer? Or would you go for the second alternative in which you have a chance to shoplift the item from the company? Assuming this can take you less than two days to execute. I would ask them the question on three different occasions and determine the consistency in their responses. A shoplifter would opt for the shoplifting option as he or she would find it more beneficial since he or she gets a chance to have the item within the shortest time possible.
In an attempt to reduce shoplifting and its occurrences, I propose more stringent punishments for the act. The intention is to make the shoplifters, every time they consider shoplifting, feel like the adverse consequences of their act outweighs the benefits. Therefore, whenever the urge to shoplift comes, they imagine themselves ending up in an uglier situation. Notably, this will be a deterrence strategy.