Rationalistic Opportunity Perspective on Criminal Behavior Toward a Reformulation of the Theoretical Basis for the Notion of Property Crime as Work

• NCJ Number: 82792
• Journal: Crime and Delinquency Volume: 28 Issue: 2 Dated: (April 1982) Pages: 233-246
• Author(s): H R Holzman
• Date Published: 1982
• Length: 14 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Most schools of criminological theory do not depict persistent involvement in property crime as rational economic activity similar to other more conventional income-producing endeavors. Yet, the notion of earning one's living by illicit means frequently appears in the criminological literature, notably in discussions of 'professional criminality.'

Abstract

This paper presents a synthesis of ideas drawn from criminological theory, economics, and the sociology of occupations in an attempt to generate an alternative explanation of crime as work; this alternative view is termed the 'rationalistic opportunity perspective.' (Author abstract)