Criminals. The mere word risks threatening the stability and security of the individual and society as a whole. Thus, since 1760, our understanding of the nature of crime and our ability to manage it has sparked much discussion. We often see the words “senseless acts” appear in newspaper articles. However, as Becarria, an early rational choice theorist, suggests, crime is the result of choice; a calculated process of comparing costs and benefits in order to maximize pleasure and minimize pain (Bernard et al. 2010). Since specific crimes are committed for specific purposes, it makes little sense to construct broad categories of crimes (Pateboster 2001). Each crime is so complex and distinct that we must consider the offender's perspective, to understand the mindset and game play behind each particular offense. Rape and drunk driving are stark examples of how different crimes, in relation to each other and in themselves, have very different motivations. Offenders' backgrounds and their different perceptions of costs and benefits are important in this regard. By accounting for these differences between offenses and offenders, it allows us to implement effective policies because they focus on the direct causes of how and why people commit crime. In order to fully understand criminal decisions, we must understand both sides of the equation; costs as well as benefits (Ward et al. 2006). When comparing rape, non-consensual sexual intercourse committed by physical force, threat of injury or other coercion, with drunk driving, driving over the legal blood alcohol limit , their definitions highlight the different nature of each ...... middle of document ...... decisive shortcuts and fail to recognize the full extent of costs and benefits (Pateboster 2001). It is therefore wise to conclude that crime cannot be managed effectively without further study of the dynamic nature of individual crimes. from an individual point of view. A comparison between rape and drunk driving illustrates how perceptions of costs and benefits, certainty and severity, legal and extralegal consequences, vary across offenses and offenders. Crime is therefore multifactorial and complex. Developing broad programs and policies would be ill-informed and ineffective. It is clear that one solution cannot fit everyone. If we, as a society, wish to understand crime, we must continue to understand it from the offender's perspective. To a large extent, this understanding is everything. The safety, security and cohesion of our society depend on it.