Routine activity theory: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 12:15, 24 October 2020

Revision as of 15:54, 11 December 2020

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The premise of routine activity theory is that crime is relatively unaffected by social causes such as [[poverty]], [[Social inequality|inequality]], and [[unemployment]]. For instance, after [[World War II]], the economy of Western countries started to boom and the Welfare states were expanding. Despite this, crime rose significantly during this time. According to Felson and Cohen, the reason for the increase is that the prosperity of contemporary society offers more opportunities for crime to occur. For example, the use of automobiles, on one hand, enables offenders to move more freely to conduct their violations and, on the other hand, provide more targets for theft. Other social changes such as college enrollment, female labor participation, urbanization, suburbanization, and lifestyles all contribute to the supply of opportunities and, subsequently, the occurrence of crime.<ref name=":0" />

Routine activity theory has its foundation in human ecology and rational choice theory. Over time, the theory has been extensively employed to study sexual crimes, robberies, cyber crimes, residential burglary and corresponding victimizations, among others. It is also worth noting that, in the study of criminal victimization, the routine activity theory is often regarded as "essentially similar"<ref>{{Cite book|title=Reassessing the lifestyle model of criminal victimization|last=Garofalo|first=J.|publisher=Sage|year=1987|isbn=|___location=Beverly Hills, California|pages=|citeseerx=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Maxfield|first=Michael G.|date=1987|title=Lifestyle and Routine Activity Theories of Crime: Empirical Studies of Victimization, Delinquency, and Offender Decision-Making|jstor=23365565|journal=Journal of Quantitative Criminology|volume=3|issue=4|pages=275–282|doi=10.1007/BF01066831|s2cid=143901845}}</ref> to [[Lifestyle theory|lifestyle theory of criminology]] by {{harvp|Hindelang

|Gottfredson|Garofalo|1978}}.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Victims of personal crime: An empirical foundation for a theory of personal victimization. |last1=Hindelang |first1=M. J. |last2=Gottfredson |first2=M. R.|last3=Garofalo|first3=J.|publisher=Ballinger |year=1978|isbn=978-0-88410-793-4 |___location=Cambridge, Massachusetts}}</ref> More recently, routine activity theory has been repeatedly used in multilevel frameworks with [[social disorganization theory]] in understanding various neighborhood crimes.

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===Absence of a suitable guardian===

Guardianship can be a person or an object that is effective in deterring offense to occur<ref name="Social Inequality">{{cite journal |last1=Cohen |first1=Lawrence E. |last2=Kluegel |first2=James R. |last3=Land |first3=Kenneth C. |title=Social Inequality and Predatory Criminal Victimization: An Exposition and Test of A Formal Theory|journal=American Sociological Review|date=1981|volume=46 |issue=5 |pages=505–524|doi=10.2307/2094935 |jstor=2094935 }}</ref> and sometimes crime is stopped by simple presence of guardianship in space and time.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Felson|first=Marcus|date=1995|title=Those who discourage crime|url=|journal=Crime and Place|volume=4|pages=53–66|via=}}</ref>

==Empirical evidence==

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{{harvp|Felson|Cohen|1980}} establishes that those who live alone are more likely to be out alone and to have little help in guarding their property, they probably face higher rates of victimization for both personal and property crimes. The 30.6% increase in employed and married female’s participation rates not only subjects these women to greater risk of attack on their way to and from work, but also leaves their home and car less guarded from illegal entry. The 118% increase in the proportion of the population consisting of female college students places more women at risk of attack when carrying out daily activities as students, since they may be less effectively protected by family or friends.

{{harvp|Pratt|Holtfreter|Reisig|2010}} using a sample of 922 adults in Florida show that one's online routine activities, shaped by one's sociodemographic characteristics, strongly shape the person's risk of falling victim of Internet fraud.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Pratt|first1=Travis C.|last2=Holtfreter|first2=Kristy|last3=Reisig|first3=Michael D.|year=2010|title=Routine Online Activity and Internet Fraud Targeting: Extending the Generality of Routine Activity Theory|url=|journal=Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency|volume=47|issue=3|pages=267–296|jstor=|doi=10.1177/0022427810365903|s2cid=146182010}}</ref> Their findings clearly shed light on the validity of routine activities theory on crimes that targeted Internet users. Using university computer attack data, {{harvp|Maimon|Kamerdze|Cukier|Sobesto|2013}} reveal evidence supporting routine activity theory. They find that the risk of computer attacks increases during university official business hours and that foreign-origin attacks are substantially attributed to the number of foreign network users.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Maimon|first1=D.|last2=Kamerdze|first2=A.|last3=Cukier|first3=M.|last4=Sobesto|first4=B.|date=2013-03-01|title=Daily Trends and Origin of Computer-Focused Crimes Against a Large University Computer Network: An Application of the Routine-Activities and Lifestyle Perspective|journal=British Journal of Criminology|language=en|volume=53|issue=2|pages=319–343|doi=10.1093/bjc/azs067|issn=0007-0955}}</ref>

==Criticisms==

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* {{Cite journal |last=Maxfield |first=M. G. |date=1987 |title=Lifestyle and Routine Activity Theories of Crime: Empirical Studies of Victimization, Delinquency, and Offender Decision-making |journal=Journal of Quantitative Criminology |volume=3 |issue=4 |pages=275–282 |doi=10.1007/BF01066831 |jstor=23365565|s2cid=143901845 }}

* {{Cite book |title=The Encyclopedia of Theoretical Criminology |edition=first |editor-first=J. Mitchell |editor-last=Miller |isbn=978-1-118-51739-0 |doi=10.1002/9781118517390 |year=2014 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons}}

* {{Cite journal |last1=Pratt|first1=Travis C.|last2=Holtfreter|first2=Kristy|last3=Reisig|first3=Michael D.|year=2010|title=Routine Online Activity and Internet Fraud Targeting: Extending the Generality of Routine Activity Theory|url=|journal=Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency|volume=47|issue=3|pages=267–296|jstor=|doi=10.1177/0022427810365903|s2cid=146182010}}

* {{Cite book |first1=Ronald V. |last1=Clarke |first2=Marcus |last2=Felson |date=1993 |chapter=Introduction: Criminology, Routine Activity, and Rational Choice |title=Advances in Criminological Theory: Routine Activity and Rational Choice |volume=5 |pages=1–14}}

* {{cite journal |last1=Rountree |first1=P. W. |last2=Land |first2=K. C. |last3=Miethe |first3=T. D. |date=1994 |title=Macro‐micro integration in the study of victimization: A hierarchical logistic model analysis across Seattle neighborhoods |journal=Criminology |volume=32 |issue=3 |pages=387–414|doi=10.1111/j.1745-9125.1994.tb01159.x }}