CRIM 101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Urban Ecology, Human Ecology, Proactive Policing
5 Jun 2018
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Lecture 7: Environmental Criminology, Routine Activity, and Situational Crime Prevention
Opportunity Theory, Routine Activity Theory and Criminal event theory
Enter the victimization surveys
● Lifestyle exposure, opportunity and routine activities theory evolved in the 1970s, when
victimization surveys started to gain in popularity
● Victimization surveys tried to figure out who was being victimized, who was doing the
victimization, what sort of victimization was involved, what the relationship was between victim
and victimizer (if any), where and when incidents of victimization take place, how often
victimization occurred etc.
Rising crime rates
● Also a time when crime rates were rising dramatically, and victims were demanding the
government take action to protect them
Happy Together
● Victimology, opportunity theory, lifestyle exposure theory, routine activities theory and rational
choice theory are quite similar
● All tend to view criminal event in terms of time-space continuum (or environmental backcloth),
and examine ways in which offenders and victims intersect in time and space, in the absence of a
capable guardian.
Lifestyle Exposure Theory
Introduced in 1978 by Hindelang, Gottfredson & Garofalo
Same Gottfredson who co-authored A General Theory of Crime with Travis Hirschi
● Lifestyles of individuals and groups follow certain patterns, e.g., where they go, when they go
there, who they go with (or who they meet there), what they do when they get there
● Offedes dot selet itis at ado; istead, they follow similar lifestyle patterns to their
victims, and often resemble victims in terms of age, gender, social class and ethnic origin
Some Supporting Evidence
● 2004 GSS found that rates of violent victimization were highest for young people between 15-24,
and lowest for those over age of 65
● Young people more likely to engage in public activities during the evening, whereas older people
more likely to spend their evenings at home, or if not, at least in low-risk environment
● Rates of violent victimization are much higher for individuals who were single or separated or
divorced, and who engaged more frequently in evening activities outside of the home
Crime Pattern Theory
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
● Associated with the thinking of Patricia and Paul Brantingham, and their 1984 book, Patterns in
Crime
● The te iial eet, although fist oied Cohe ad Felso i thei atile o
routine activity theory, is also associated with the thinking of Patricia and Paul Brantingham
● Routine activity theory, environmental criminology, crime pattern theory and criminal event
theo ae geeall egaded as opleeta appoahes to the pheoeo of ie
● They share many of the same features, e.g. outie atiities, otiated offedes, ie
oppotuities, guadiaship, ad situatioal ie peetio.
Routine Activity Theory (aka RAT)
● Introduced in 1979, by Lawrence Cohen & Marcus Felson
● Similar to lifestyle exposure theory- came out at roughly the same time, both based on
victimization surveys
● Three main elements required for predatory crime to occur:
1. A motivated offender
2. A suitable target
3. Absence of a capable guardian
Although relatively simple and straightforward, routine actiit theo is eakal fleile ad oust,
as it can be applied to any criminal event.
The Three Social Domains: Most crime occurs during routine activities
● Home: people travel from home to work
● Work: people travel from work to leisure
● Leisure: then back home
● Another one could be education, and considering how much time people spend on it cyberspace
can become the 5th domain.
● These domains structure our lives.
Working on the Chain Gang
● Husbands, wives and teenagers working
● Traveling to and from work
● Leaving home and personal effects unprotected
Reading, Riting And Rithmetic
● More people going to schools
● More schools to go to
● More time spent in schools
Shop till you drop
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find more resources at oneclass.com
Recreational Activities
More bars, more going out. More recreational activities
Economic Prosperity
Economic advances like credit cards, the beginning of automated teller machines. Creating opportunities
to rob and other crimes.
Advances in RAT and Victimology
Crime is Patterned
● As the Brantinghams point out in their 1993 atile o Nodes, Paths ad Edges, the idea that
the physical environment influences criminal behaviours is not new
● Thats h e uild high alls aoud popeties, keep guad dogs i the ad o i the house,
and have doors that lock
● Crime is highly patterned, and is usually concentrated in certain areas
● We all know that there are certain parts of town where there is a lot of crime, and other parts of
town where it is relatively safe
Nodes
Paths
Edges
Activity nodes are crime
generators, or crime attractors
Crime generators are areas that
attract a large number of people,
e.g. entertainment districts,
shopping centres, sports
stadiums, and concentrations of
office buildings
Crime attractors are places to
which criminal offenders
attracted (e.g. known
prostitution strolls, markets for
illicit drugs, and large shopping
malls or unprotected parking
lots) where criminals know that
there will be opportunities
waiting for them
The concept of nodes also
includes the three social
domains: home, work, leisure.
Ciial ted to oit thei
ies ea thei oal paths
Paths include road networks,
walking paths, sidewalk, and
transit routes
Paths can take criminals to and
from suitable targets- they help
the offenders get to the scene of
the crime and escape from the
scene of the crime.
Ciial eets ad ie hot
spots luste ea ajo oads,
major intersections, subway
exits, and bus stops
The eioet is full of
physical and perceptual edges,
place where there is enough
distinctiveness from one [place]
to another that the change is
otieale
A major, 8-lane freeway serves
as an edge, that criminal
offenders are unlikely to cross,
unless there is an overpass
nearby
Perceptual edges may occur
when there is a marked land use
change, like going from the area
in which the offender lives, into
a totally different area that is
strange and unfamiliar.
Edges motivate or demotivate
offenders to commit crime (e.g.
rivers, forest, etc.)
Environmental Backcloth
● A term used by environmental criminologists Patricia and Paul Brantingham, to describe the
elements that surround the criminal event.
● The backcloth emits cues, telling a potential offender whether or not there is likely to be a suitable
target, and whether or not the offender is likely to be observed and apprehended.
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Lecture 7: environmental criminology, routine activity, and situational crime prevention. Opportunity theory, routine activity theory and criminal event theory. Lifestyle exposure, opportunity and routine activities theory evolved in the 1970s, when victimization surveys started to gain in popularity. Also a time when crime rates were rising dramatically, and victims were demanding the government take action to protect them. Victimology, opportunity theory, lifestyle exposure theory, routine activities theory and rational choice theory are quite similar. All tend to view criminal event in terms of time-space continuum (or environmental backcloth), and examine ways in which offenders and victims intersect in time and space, in the absence of a capable. Same gottfredson who co-authored a general theory of crime with travis hirschi. Lifestyles of individuals and groups follow certain patterns, e. g. , where they go, when they go there, who they go with (or who they meet there), what they do when they get there.
