1. The passage discusses rational choice theory and its application to understanding criminal behavior. Rational choice theory posits that criminal behavior is similar to noncriminal behavior, in that individuals commit crimes because they perceive the rewards to outweigh the risks/punishment.
2. Research on the death penalty has been conducted to test the deterrence hypothesis derived from rational choice theory. However, the evidence so far has not clearly proven that capital punishment deters crimes more effectively than life imprisonment without parole.
3. More research, such as comparing murder rates in states with versus without the death penalty, would be needed to definitively determine whether the deterrence hypothesis derived from rational choice theory is valid.