Deterrence, Psychological, and Rational Choice Theories and the Causes of Digital Crime

Digital Crime Theories
Student’s Name
Institution
Digital Crime Theories
Technology characterizes people’s lives today to a great extent. While the internet has played a big role in making the lives of people easier, it has exposed them to a wide range of crimes that occur in the cyberspace. As internet technologies continue to advance, digital criminals also develop new ways of carrying out their deviant acts. According to the Interpol (n.d.), more and more cybercriminals are exploiting the convenience, anonymity, and speed of the internet to carry out a wide range of criminal activities. These criminal activities cause serious harm to victims around the globe. There are theories in the field of criminology that try to explain the occurrence of the digital crimes and how enforcement authorities can approach them. This paper examines two theories, Deterrence Theory and Psychological theories, which a researcher can use to explain the cause of digital crime. The paper also examines how rational choice theory explains the occurrence of both digital crime and non-digital crime.
Deterrence theory is one of the theories that a researcher can use to explain the occurrence of digital crime. According to Bryant (2016), the theory holds that celerity and certainty are more important than severity in one’s decision-making process. According to this theory, therefore, a crime would be more likely to be prevented in the case the actual immediate costs are high and outweigh the potential benefits that would accrue. The more severe a punishment for a crime is, the more likely that one would desist from doing it. Therefore, in order to prevent crime, there is the emphasis on penalties as a way of encouraging citizens to obey the law. Another aspect of the theory is the certainty of punishment. As such, when the punishment for a crime is certain, severe, and swift, an individual will be “deterred” from engaging in unlawful practices. In this case, the loss has to be greater than the costs. The prevalence of digital crime, therefore, can be explained by deterrence theory in that there is no sufficient legal measures in place to deal with digital criminals. Therefore, in a world where the criminal justice system does not punish perpetrators of digital crimes, it is likely that the rate of crime would be high. However, in the case mechanisms are put in place to deter digital crimes, the rates would reduce. Therefore, deterrence theory can explain the occurrence of digital crimes in that there is the absence of high severity, certainty, and celerity criminal sanctions.
Psychological theories are also significant in explaining the occurrence of digital crimes. While there are many psychological theories that can be used to explain the occurrence of digital crime, this section focuses on social learning theory and self-control theory. According to social learning theory, the more attitudes and beliefs a person has that are suppor...