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1 Routine Activities Theory

Routine activities theory proposes that for a crime to occur, there must be a motivated offender, a suitable target or victim, and the absence of a capable guardian converging in time and space. The theory also suggests that criminal behavior is influenced by everyday activities and environments that provide opportunities for crime by increasing people's vulnerability and exposure as potential victims. Guardianship deters crime by protecting potential targets.

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168 views

1 Routine Activities Theory

Routine activities theory proposes that for a crime to occur, there must be a motivated offender, a suitable target or victim, and the absence of a capable guardian converging in time and space. The theory also suggests that criminal behavior is influenced by everyday activities and environments that provide opportunities for crime by increasing people's vulnerability and exposure as potential victims. Guardianship deters crime by protecting potential targets.

Uploaded by

yugendran kumar
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Routine Activities

Theory
Marcus Felson and Lawrence E Cohen. 1979
Routine Activities Theory
• Developed by Marcus Felson and Lawrence E Cohen. 1979

• Routine activities theory requires three elements be present for a crime to occur.

• motivated offender with criminal intentions.


• suitable victim or target.
• absence of a capable guardian .

• These three elements must converge in time and space for a crime to occur
Routine Activities Theory
Routine Activities Theory
• criminal activities are a “structurally significant phenomenon

• violations are neither random nor trivial events.

• It is the routine of activities people partake in over the course of their day and
night lives that makes some individuals more susceptible to being viewed as
suitable targets by a rationally calculating offender.

• the target’s vulnerability; the more suitable and accessible the target
Routine Activities Theory
• The presence of capable guardians is also held to deter individuals from offending.

• Guardianship can be the physical presence of a person- mechanical devices - video


surveillance or security systems.

• The essential aspect of routine activities theory is the interaction of


motivation, opportunity and targets.

• In this way, the presence of guardians will deter most offenders, rendering
even attractive targets off limits
Routine Activities Theory
• There are four main elements influence a target’s risk of criminal attack.

• Value
• Inertia
• Visibility
• Access
Routine Activities Theory
• Offenders will only be interested in targets that they value, for whatever reason

• Inertia is simply the weight of the item. Thus small electronic goods are stolen
more than weighty items

• Visibility refers to the exposure of theft targets to offenders, as when someone


flashes money in public or puts valuable goods by the window

• Access refers to street patterns, placement of goods near the door, or other features
of everyday life making it easy for offenders to get to targets.

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