Routine activity theory: Difference between revisions

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[[File:Routine activity theory.png|thumb|300px|A graphical model of the Routineroutine activity theory. The theory stipulates three necessary conditions for most crime; a likely offender, a suitable target, and the absence of a capable guardian, coming together in time and space. The lack of any of the three elements is sufficient to prevent a crime which requires offender-victim contact.]]

'''Routine activity theory''' is a sub-field of [[crime opportunity theory]] that focuses on situations of crimes. It was first proposed by [[Marcus Felson]] and [[Lawrence E. Cohen]] in their explanation of crime rate changes in the United States between 1947 and 1974.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Cohen|first=Lawrence E.|last2=Felson|first2=Marcus|date=1979|title=Social Change and Crime Rate Trends: A Routine Activity Approach|jstor=2094589|journal=American Sociological Review|volume=44|issue=4|pages=588–608|doi=10.2307/2094589|citeseerx=10.1.1.476.3696}}</ref> The theory has been extensively applied and has become one of the most cited theories in criminology. Unlike criminological theories of criminality, routine activity theory studies crime as an event, closely relates crime to its environment and emphasizes its ecological process,<ref name="Encyclopedia of Theoretical Criminology"/> thereby diverting academic attention away from mere offenders.