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Routine Activity Theory Analysis

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There are many different schools of criminological theories that all attempt in explaining crime in different ways. Among these various school of thought are the environmental theories, which do not focus on the individual or even groups of individuals, but instead focus on the environment itself and whether or not it is likely to contribute to criminal activity. One particular environmental theory, Cohen and Felson’s Routine Activity Theory, states that “…in order for a crime to occur, motivated offenders must converge with suitable targets in the absence of capable guardians…” (Cohen, Agnew, & Wilcox 2014). If one of those three components is missing, then the theory argues the lack of a motivated offender, a suitable target, or if there …show more content…

For example, the activities/routines that households and families partake in bring about a lower opportunity for victimization to occur in comparison to activities that take place away from the household. A weakness is that in crimes that involve a person being directly victimized, the theory’s stipulation of the lack of a capable guardian leads to victim blaming. It insinuates that we are not capable to properly guarding ourselves from perpetrators and we are at fault for being victimized, whether it be due to our inability of protecting ourselves or it be caused by our routine activities. That is highly problematic, especially when people who have been sexually assaulted or raped are constantly blamed and told that they could have prevented it. Another weakness it that it seems to need further and more extensive testing. I do like this theory because it offers a different take on why crime happens, focusing on environments and routines and how they both affect criminal occurrences. The only thing I do not care for regarding this theory is that it can cause victim blaming. Blaming the victim is such a significant and horrendous problem in the world today, and it needs to be done away with. In conclusion, Routine Activity Theory has valid and supported claims, simply stating that environmental factors have a heavy influence on criminal activity and the presence of three elements decide whether or not crime is likely to

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While a few theories are not as regular, others have developed and are utilized as a part of numerous criminal reviews today. Cutting edge criminologists consolidate the most important aspects of sociology, psychology, anthropology, and biological theories to advance their comprehension of criminal behavior. Rational choice theory, psychological, biological, and strain theory are used to analyze the

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Routine activity theory provides insights by explaining that a crime requires the presence of a suitable target (Shymko),without such a target, the motivated offender lacks the necessary incentives to commit a crime (Shymko). Motivated offenders consider two primary factors when determining an individual as a suitable target. The first factor is the absence of an effective guardian who can prevent criminal acts. In the absence of one, the likelihood of criminal activity increases significantly (Shymko). Potential offenders are aware that there is no one to hold them accountable or prevent their actions.

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Why is crime such a large part of our everyday society? Since the beginning of time, crime has been a large part of history, which gradually increased throughout the years, and continues today in everyday life. Crime is something that people do out of either force, impulse, fun, by accident, or their environment. Some people have been raised since childhood in areas where crime rates were at an high and maybe that caused them to follow what they learned while growing up and pursuing crimes as well. Malcolm Gladwell, author of Power of Context: Bernie Goetz and the Rise and Fall of New York City Crime, mentions how these key concepts shape the way in which crimes are performed through their involvement with their environment and communities.

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1. How would Akers explain street level drug sales and date rape? Akers would be following his 4 concepts which are • Differential association; In which the person is exposed to the criminal behavior, by direct contact and interactions with friends, family, groups, media and more. Which will expose the individual to those events and situations that are not normal, but if the individuals is confronted with those same events or situation it eventually become the norm.

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Within the past couple of decades, criminologists have developed different criminological theories that apply to the social behaviors and decisions of criminals. One of the earliest theories developed regarding criminality is the rational choice theory, in which describes the rationalization of determining if the rewards from committing the crime outweigh the consequences. In Scarver’s case, his decision to engage in criminal activities outweighed the potential consequences, or the other alternatives if he did not engage in such criminal activities. In addition to the rational choice theory, Scarver’s criminality can be related to the social disorganization theory, which describes the influence of one’s social and physical environment on one’s decision to commit a crime. Lastly, the strain theory can be related to Scarver’s criminality as well, as it is used to describe an individual who lacks the means to obtain such goals, and aspirations, so therefore, he or she engages in criminal activities to acquire the goals.

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59). One of the strengths of the theory is that it seeks to create a sense of order within communities to show the citizens that the police actually cares about what is going on within their communities, which will make the citizens feel safer within their own communities and deter crime (Kelling, 2015, pg. 58). Order can raise the quality of life for the citizens and it can also attract new businesses to come to the community, which will bring new job opportunities for the citizens. One of the disadvantages of the theory is that it is often misunderstood by police departments, which will produce negative outcomes (Kelling, 2015, pg. 58).

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While this theory can be universal, it mostly applies to urban societies. Most people who live in these urban societies live in poverty and do not have the means to climb the social ladder. As a result they turn to crime.(Simons & Burt, 2011) This theory forces people to ignore the social norms within the society because they end up not caring about the appearance of the neighborhood or if they get in trouble with the law. Similar to social learning theory, people who commit crimes within a disorganized are not able to see how their actions can cause negative consequences.

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Circumstances can arise that cause individuals to commit crimes, even though they have not been around it and have not learned the behavior. If someone was from a community that rarely saw any crime, it is still possible that that person could turn to criminal deviance. By using the Four Metrics for Evaluating Theory, you can break down the Theory of Differential Association. The theory has logical consistency because each of the 9 propositons stated all are able to build on each other and come together to conclude one thought. The scope is realistic when you take into account the steady number of crimes committed in a single area as compared to another area that does not have as many criminal acts.

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Routine activities theory, as proposed by Cohen and Felson, states that crime depends on the presence of a motivated offender and a suitable target that lacks proper guardianship (Winfree & Abadinsky, 2009). When both elements are present, it is more likely that an individual will either commit a crime or be victimized. Cohen and Felson defined motivated offenders as individuals in need or who desire the benefits they can obtain from committing a crime (Winfree & Abadinsky, 2009). Suitable targets (people or objects that motivated offenders deem satisfactory as targets of their crimes) are assessed along four dimensions: exposure, the accessibility of the target; guardianship, the presence of preventative measures that protect the target;

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Situational crime prevention (SCP) and rational choice theory (RCT), together, provide an insightful explanation as to why people commit crimes and what can be done to deter them. Much of the work done in RCT and SCP was founded by Derek Cornish and Ronald V. Clarke, who wanted to understand the decision-making process of potential offenders and focus on the spatial and situational factors that make such crime possible (Farrell and Hodgkinson, 2015). This paper aims to explore SCP and its relationship to RCT, as well as analyze the works of Keith Hayward and Graham Farrell in their discussion of these ideas. This paper has four objectives: first, the paper will discuss SCP and RCT and explain the link between the two concepts. Second, this paper will examine Hayward 's discussion of RCT, SCP, and cultural criminology.

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“Routine activities refer to generalized patterns of social activities in a society” (Routine). Routine activities structured in society is “influences what kinds of situations people confront” (Routine). With this theory there are three criteria that are meet in order for crime to occur. First, a suitable target must be present. This could be an individual or an object.

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Violent crimes can be explained through social disorganization theory and strain theory. Social disorganization theory states that crime occurs when the mechanisms of socialism control are weakened. Crime is more likely to be in communities that are economically deprived, large in size, high in multiunit housing, high in residential mobility, and high in family disruption. Residents in these communities often lack skills and resources to effectively assist others, they are poor, and many are single parents. These communities exist primarily in the inner city due to discrimination.

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Environmental Design is a key aspect of helping prevent crimes Crime prevention through environmental design is a problem-solving approach to crime prevention. According to Peak (2015), crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) is defined as “proper design and effective use of the environment that can lead to a reduction in the fear and incidence of crime, and an improvement in the quality of life” (p. 111). The technique of CPTED often asks the two same questions, what makes this location a risk for people, and what lead to the opportunity for crime to happen here (Zahm, 2007)? Crime prevention through

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When looking at crime as a social problem, there are many such

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