Routine Activities Theory: Three Major Components Of Crime

Routine activities theory has three major components that are all necessary for crime to happen. The first is a motivated offender. Second there must be an available victim and lastly, there needs to be lack of capable guardianship. This theory can easily be applied to Mason’s scenario to describe why he has done what he has. Mason’s mother died and is now living with his aunt who he isn’t close with. They live in an undesirable part of town and she works all the time to support her two kids and Mason. This shows the lack of capable guardianship. Mason poor school performance, detention, trouble interacting with teachers, and hanging around other kids who commit delinquent acts as contributed to him being a motivated offender as well as his drinking alcohol and smoking

joints.

The gas station attendant served as an available victim in Masons scenario. The other stores in the neighborhood and attendants also served as available victims because they were close and probably alone in the store while being robbed at gunpoint it made them available targets. Mason attending church regularly was proven to be a factor that reduced male deviance (Novak & Crawford, 2010). To prevent Mason from committing future delinquent acts it would be suggested to make the situation less favorable for the offender. To make a target or victim less available a business could put up security camera, hire security guards, or any measure that makes the target less available. Routine activities theory would also suggest making sure there is a capable guardian around more often to prevent Mason from getting into trouble and committing delinquent acts. This might include his aunt now allowing him to hang out with the neighborhood boys who have been arrested for many things in the past. Mason not hanging out with these boys anymore could make him a less motivated offender as well. If mason continues to attend church this could reduce his future delinquency (Novak &

Crawford, 2010).
Cohen’s status frustration and middle class measuring rod can also be applied to Mason’s scenario. This theory states that delinquency is the result of not measuring up to the middle class standards and status frustration felt with the trouble adjusting turns into a group of other labeled “failures” coming together to form a delinquent subculture. Mason lives in an undesirable area of the city and his aunt working all the time doesn’t have time to teach him the middle class standards that would help him succeed in school. This can be seen through his poor grades and trouble interacting with his teachers, and detention. Mason hangs out with other kids that are delinquents as well, which demonstrates them forming a subculture. According to Cohen’s theory to prevent Mason from coming any future delinquent acts he should be taught some middle class standards and try to divert his norms of the subgroup to more accepted society norms.