ABSTRACT
As outlined in the introductory chapter, the rational choice perspective (RCP) has become the primary conceptual underpinning for situational crime prevention (SCP) and as such has attracted both devoted supporters and trenchant critics. The starting point for this chapter is the contention that much of the criticism directed at RCP — and for that matter, much of the support it receives — is based on a misconception of the function that the model is designed to fulfil. The distinction is drawn between RCP as an organising framework for SCP policy and practice on the one hand, and RCP as a theoretical model of offender decision making on the other. The former function is what Cornish and Clarke intended for RCP, and in that role it has been outstandingly successful. The latter function was never intended by Cornish and Clarke and nor does RCP credibly fulfil that role.
