Sociology & Criminology for a Changing World
Ronald V. Clarke is a prominent British-American criminologist who significantly shaped modern crime prevention theory and practice. As a leading proponent of the situational crime prevention (SCP) approach, Clarke argued that crime could be effectively reduced by altering the immediate environment to increase the perceived effort and risk while reducing the rewards of criminal activity.
Derek B. Cornish was a British criminologist best known for his collaboration with Ronald V. Clarke in developing the rational choice perspective on criminal behavior. Together, they edited the influential volume The Reasoning Criminal: Rational Choice Perspectives on Offending (1986), which brought together empirical studies and theoretical essays to argue that offenders make calculated decisions
Gary S. Becker was a pioneering economist who extended the scope of economic analysis to a wide range of human behavior, including crime, family relations, education, and discrimination. His groundbreaking application of rational choice theory to non-market behavior led to the development of what is often called “economic imperialism”—the use of economic principles to explain