ABSTRACT
The old version of rational choice theory is that people engage in conscious and deliberate cost-benefit analysis such that they maximize the values and minimize the costs of their actions. Rejection of deterrence theory probably has more to do with concerns about the old version of rational choice theory than with the new version. An attractive feature of new rational choice theory is that it can be used to integrate deterrence theory with other theories, such as Robert Merton's strain theory and Ronald Akers' social learning theory. The possibility that legal punishments deter is consistent with the new version of rational choice theory, which can be used to integrate deterrence with other criminological theories, such as strain and social learning. Few criminologists question the importance of theoretical integration, although they may disagree about how it is to be accomplished.
