ROUTINE ACTIVITY THEORY
Routine-activities theory developed in the 1970's
to explain variations in victimization rates among categories of persons, areas or over
time.
Dependent on the notions of life style and
opportunity, routine activity theory argues that it is the life styles (ie: their
routine-activities) of young males which explains their high rate of victimization
compared to seniors, or that it is the changes in routine-activities accompanying the
increase in small households and two-income families which has increased the opportunity
for property crimes.
Routine activity theory explains crime events as the
convergence in time and space of likely offenders and suitable targets in the absence of
capable guardians. - (Cohen & Felson 1979)
The Novelty of ‘Cybercrime’ - An Assessment
in Light of Routine Activity Theory
Majid Yar, University of Kent - Discussions of ‘cybercrime’ focus upon the
apparent novelty or otherwise of the phenomenon. Authors claim that such crime is not
qualitatively different from ‘terrestrial crime’, and can be analysed and
explained using established theories of crime causation. One such approach, oft cited, is
the ‘routine activity theory’ developed by Marcus Felson and others. This
article explores the extent to which the routine activity theory’s concepts and
aetiological schema can be transposed to crimes committed in a ‘virtual’
environment. Substantively, the examination concludes that, although some of the routine
activity theory’s core concepts can indeed be applied to cybercrime, there remain
important differences between ‘virtual’ and ‘terrestrial’ worlds that
limit the routine activity theory’s usefulness.
These differences, it is claimed, give qualified support to
the suggestion that ‘cybercrime’ does indeed represent the emergence of a new
and distinctive form of crime.
A Routine Activity Theory Explanation for Women's Stalking
Victimizations
ELIZABETH EHRHARDT MUSTAINE, The University of Central Florida
RICHARD TEWKSBURY, University of Louisville
Drawing on surveys administered to 861 university women in nine institutions, this article
presents a routine activity theory model for predicting stalking victimization likelihood
for women. Using routine activity theory, the model highlights lifestyle behaviors and
interactions as predictors of stalking victimization. Whereas routine activity theory
often highlights the role of demographics and statuses as predictors, this analysis
emphasizes the role of women's social interactions and substance use in victimization
risk. Significant predictors of victimization likelihood include substance use variables,
activities in public settings, and residence off campus. -
vaw.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/5/1/43
Routine Activity Theory And The Risk Of Rape: Analyzing Ten
Years Of National Crime Survey Data - Joanne Belknap, University of Cincinnati
This analysis applies routine activity theory to the risk of rape, using 10 years
(1973-82) of NCS data. In addition to univariate analysis describing characteristics of
the victimization itself, bivariate and multivariate (discriminant) analyses are employed
to assess the risk of rape, comparing 762 rape and attempted rape victims with 2,523
randomly selected non-rape victims. Most characteristics concerning the rape incident
itself (e.g., time of day and season) were consistent with routine activity theory.
However, the place of occurrence was not. Additionally, discriminant analysis showed that
marital status, age, family income, and the number of living units per structure appear to
be the strongest predictors of the risk of rape. Unlike most prior research, race was not
a factor in the risk of rape, although race was correlated with those factors influencing
the risk of rape. Given the fundamental level of these predictor variables, the likelihood
of affecting the level of rape through policy appears limited. -
cjp.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/2/4/337
The Challenges of Testing Routine Activity Theory - Skubak,
Marie,
Abstract: Routine activity theory (Cohen & Felson 1979) explains crime events as the
convergence in time and space of likely offenders and suitable targets in the absence of
capable guardians. Although the theory describes characteristics associated with events,
no study to date has tested the effect of guardianship on crime events. Existing tests of
the theory have limitations due to 1) design, 2) level of measurement, 3) level of study,
and/or 4) failure to include measures of all theoretical constructs in the test. This
poster will present a review of existing tests of routine activity theory, a critique of
the operationalization of guardianship, and a framework for future tests of routine
activity theory.
Global Warming and U.S. Crime Rates - An Application of Routine Activity Theory
James Rotton, Ellen G. Cohn
Two archival analyses were performed to examine the association between annual
temperatures and U.S. crime rates. The first was based on area-averaged temperatures in
the United States as a whole for the years 1950 through 1999. Box-Jenkins time-series
analyses indicated that annual temperatures were associated with assault but not murder
rates in analyses that controlled for yearly population, ethnicity, and three economic
variables. The second analysis was based on state-centered crime rates from 1960 through
1998 and included the same controls. Contrary to the general aggression model,
cross-sectional time-series analyses indicated that annual temperatures were associated
with rates for assault, rape, robbery, burglary, and larceny, but not murder or motor
vehicle theft. The results are consistent with a routine activity theory interpretation of
everyday and criminal behavior. - eab.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/35/6/802
Socioecological Models of Automotive Theft: Integrating Routine Activity and Social
Disorganization Approaches - Kennon J. Rice, William R. Smith
This study explores causes of variation in auto theft rates using spatial data with
faceblocks as a unit of analysis. An integration of routine activity theory and social
disorganizationtheory is proposed, premised on an empirical basis of interaction
effectsand a pattern of automobile theft diffusion. The results show that the integration
of social disorganization theory and routine activity theory significantly increases the
predictive power of the analyses and reveals several new socioecological implications for
how and why auto theft occurs. - jrc.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/39/3/304
EXPLORING THE GEOGRAPHY OF ROUTINE ACTIVITY THEORY:-
A SPATIO-TEMPORAL TEST USING STREET ROBBERY - Elizabeth Ruth Groff, Ph.D., 2006,
Co-Directed By: Ralph Dubayah, Professor, Geography
David Weisburd, Professor, Criminology and Criminal Justice
Many social phenomena have a spatio-temporal dimension and involve dynamic decisions made
by individuals. Investigations focusing on the spatio-temporal dimensions of human
behavior have received a great deal of theoretical attention; however, empirical testing
of these theories has been handicapped by a lack of micro-level data and modeling tools
that can capture the dynamic interactions of individuals and the context in which they
occur. This research presents a methodology for evaluating theory through the
implementation of a simulation model; the assumptions of the theory are operationalized in
a model, a series of experiments are run, and the outcomes are analyzed to discover if
they match what the theory would predict.
Specifically, the concepts of routine activity theory (RAT) (Cohen and Felson, 1979) are
formalized in a computational laboratory representing Seattle, Washington. The
computational environment for implementation, Agent Analyst, merges agent-based modeling
(ABM) software with geographic information systems (GIS). A strategy for developing
activity spaces is implemented and demonstrates how agents can move along existing street
networks, and land use patterns can be used to create representational activity spaces.
Three versions of a model of street robbery are developed; each version implements a
different level of constraints on agent’s routine activities. In one version
(Simple), individuals are either at home or not at home. In another, individuals follow a
temporal schedule (Temporal). Last, individual’s schedules are both temporally and
spatially constrained (Activity Space). A series of experiments are conducted which
compare the incidence and spatial pattern of street robbery events from each version.
The results of the experiments provide strong evidence of the important role routine
activities play in street robbery events. The addition of temporal and spatio-temporal
schedule constraints reduces the incidence and changes the pattern of street robberies.
Support for routine activity theory’s premise, as time spent away from home increases
street robbery will increase, is found in the Simple and Temporal, but not the Activity
Space version of the model. - drum.umd.edu
|