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Routine activity theory paper
Theories On Crime Causation
Validity of routine activities theory
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In addition, routine activity theory proposes that in order for a successful crime to occur, there are three significant components that need to be present; as Felson (1987, p.911) notes, “a likely offender, a suitable target, and the absence of a capable guardian against crime.” Farrell & Hodgkinson (2015) mention that a likely offender is, any individual in the society who can be tempted to commit a crime during a situation. Furthermore, they add a suitable target is a human being who goes through their daily lives and becomes a target for the offender. Additionally, they describe the absence of a capable guardian involves around the idea of, one lacking the protection of an individual who is capable of protecting the victim from being victimized.
...ctivities they do. The theory looks at how the lack of regulation in a community results into crime. Further, it alludes that when an individual faces great strain or pain in the achievement of his or her goals and needs in life, he or she is forced to either give up all together or apply force to accomplish them. This motivation to achieve the needs and objectives of the community, led the other Moore deep into the life of crime (Moore, 2011).
Crimes are deliberate acts, with the intent of benefiting the offender. 2. Benefiting unsuccessfully in choosing the best decisions because of the risks and uncertainty involved. 3. Decision making significantly varies with the nature of the crime. 4. Involvement decisions are quite different from the commission (event decision) of a specific act. 5. Involvement decisions are divided into three stages: first time involvement (initiation), continued involvement (habituation) and ceasing to offend (desistance), 6. Event decisions include a sequence of choices made at each stage of the criminal act, involvement model, background factors and situational life styles, initiation (of becoming involved in a crime), habituation (deciding to continue with crime), distance (deciding to stop criminal behavior) and event model – criminal even
Situational crime prevention is an idea criminologists use in order to reduce the chances of crime initially taking place. This theory does not aim to punish criminals after the crime has taken place like the criminal justice system does, but however the opposite, it aims to reduce the chances of the crime taking place to start with. Ron Clarke (2005) describes this theory as an approach that aims to reduce the opportunities out there for crime, involving rational choice theory. Clark focuses on three methods within this theory, directing at specific crimes, altering the environment we live in and aiming to reduce the benefits of committing crimes.
When criminals think that the benefit of committing the crime will outweigh the cost if they get caught, they make a choice to commit the crime. There are two varieties of rational choice theory. One, situational choice theory, which is an extension of rational choice theory and two, routine activities theory or RAT, which states that the daily routine or patterns in ones’ activities make it much easier for an individual to become a victim of crime. The theory is, crime is more likely to happen when a criminal and their victim come together in the absence of authority (Schmalleger). A situation made easier to come by when the criminal knows the victim’s daily routines or patterns.
Based upon the evidence provided on the six elements of a good theory, the Routine Activities Theory is a sound theory. These elements provide that the theory is scientific. The theory has brought together its three elements to help determine why crime occurs. Through research by multiple detached researchers, its hypotheses have been confirmed through tests and empirical evidence.
On March 17, 1942, John Wayne Gacy was born in Chicago, Illinois. When he was younger, he was involved with activities such as boy scouts and odd jobs around his neighborhood. It is said that while Gacy wasn’t popular, he was well-liked by those people who knew him (Taylor, Troy). Gacy’s father was an alcoholic and would often abuse Gacy and his siblings if they were thought to have made trouble. His father would also abuse his mother. When Gacy was playing on a swing set at age 11, he was hit in the head with a swing. After this, Gacy would suffer from blackouts. However, when Gacy was 16, the doctors found that blood clots in his brain were the cause of his blackouts and, with medicine, they were able to stop the blackouts. When he was about
Individuals have the power to make their actions and behaviors secret to anyone and still be considered normal. In Edmund’s study (2007), he talked about how Dr. Zimbardo’s experiment and tested how two different groups of individuals, are given roles that they must fulfill. People can change without others knowing they did. Studies have shown that people are willing to change their behavior in order to fit in. People change their behavior under three circumstances: motivated individual, lack of guardianship, and suitable target (Tillyer, 2011). In Flora’s study (2007), she talks about the routine activity’s theory. It explains why individuals are more likely to commit behaviors that they normally would not do. A motivated offender is where an individual sees an opportunity to commit a crime. Lack of guardianship is where a parental guardian or someone in charge is absent in a situation. Suitable target is where an offender finds an individual that is an easy target. When an individual has all three of these conditions, it makes it easier for them to commit a crime. The theory suggests that individuals are more likely to change their behavior.
Activity Theory, as described by Russel and Yanez throughout their essay entitled, ‘Big Picture People Rarely Become Historians’ is the combination of influences impacting classroom dynamics across the country. Russel and Yanez’s activity theory emphasizes textual pathways between parts of an activity system, alienation between professionals and non-professionals, and historical contradictions.
In this assignment I am going to introduce and unpack cognitive behavioural theory and psychodynamic theory. This will include the history of each theory and the theorists that discovered and developed both. I am going to link each theory to where they fit in Payne’s Triangle of Social Work as well as compare and contrast each theory. Both Cognitive behavioural theory and psychodynamic theory both support the purposes of social work in which I will cover beneath. This assignment will also include criticisms of both theories as well.
Ronald V Clarke originally developed the idea of situational crime prevention in the 1980’s (Brantingham & Brantingham 2005). This particular crime prevention theory addresses techniques that increase the effort required to commit the crime, increase the risks involved with committing the crime, reducing the reward gained by the offender after committing the crime, reducing the provocation between the offender and others and remove excuses (Brantingham & Brantingham 2005). Majority of crime is believed to be committed because there are no high risks of being caught and the rewards outweigh the risks (Brantingham & Brantingham 2005). Increasing the effort by controlling access to locations and target hardening can deflect many offenders, as more effort is needed to commit the crime (Brantingham & Brantingham 2005). Another main technique would be to increase the risks; this may be achieved by extending guardianship, creating natural surveillance or artificial surveillance such as CCTV (Brantingham & Brantingham 2005).
The routine activities theory is a logically consistent theory. Cohen and Felson defined the concepts they used, and the proposals they hoped to convey. Their proposal was as they defined that for a crime to occur you needed three elements (motivated offender, suitable target, and lack of a capable guardian), and that when those three elements come together to form routine activities. (Akers, 35). Each element is defined by Cohen and Felson and if one of the elements is not there then a crime will not occur. Although the logical consistency is generally great, the definition of motivated offender is too broad. However, it is not clear about who the motivated offender is. It could be a person who is already inclined to commit a crime or someone who is at the right place at the right time and given the opportunity.
Similarly, routine activity theory argues that attention should be focused on the condition in which the crime takes place rather than on the offender. It was devised by Cohen and Felson (1979). They argued that the contemporary society invites high crime by generating illegal opportunities such as public display of expensive portable goods (iPods, iPads, laptops, mobile phones) which are carried out by individuals.
This essay will talk about what Situational Crime Prevention( SCP) is, it will also discuss the theoretical assumptions that underpin this approach, for example, the nature of the offender as well as examining how the SCP strategy has been used to deal with crime as well as the general pros and cons of such an approach.
Crime theories are often used to understand and explain criminal behaviour. Using crime theories in the field of criminology allows criminologists to apply an understandable explanation of why an offender has committed a crime, and what may have influenced the act (Mazerolle 2015). A variety of explanations for crime exists through a range of theories. Routine activity theory, a psychological perspective, provides an ecological approach to what causes crime, and focuses on the environmental situation, which might encourage and facilitate crime (Akers 1994). Whereas, social learning theory, an interactionist perspective, focuses on the social environment, and how individuals are constantly observing different behaviours and learning from them (Mazerolle 2015). These theories can be used to examine internet crimes such as online child exploitation. This crime is an international problem
(Segal L. The Law Project. Rod Hollier Victimology: Four Major Theories Retrieved 2017) The presences of one or more than one of the following events lead to the victimization, The Availability of Suitable Targets, The Absences of Capable Guardians, and The Presence of Motivate Offenders. Victimization theories state that Routine Activity Theory, the risk of victimization increases as in Carla example she went to jog at 22:00, on top of that she was going to expend the night in her boyfriend apartment, her boyfriend apartment is in a dilapidated apartment complex that was mostly hidden off the main road, between a Bar and a county office complex used by drug rehab counselors. We can see that Carla fits in this theory of victimization perfectly. This theory concentrates on how doors open for violations it will identified with the idea of examples of routine of the daily living, including one's work, family, and