Theories of place, victimization and prevention Flashcards
What are the three distinct situational theories of crime? what’s the common theme between all of them?
- environmental criminology
- rational-choice perspective
- routine-activity approach
theme = opportunity
What is the purpose of environmental criminology? What does it assume?
examines the location of a specific crimes and the context in which it occurred to understand and explain crime patterns
assumes: criminals are motivated (biggest critique - doesn’t explain why, just assumes so)
What kinds of questions to environmental criminologists ask?
- when and where did the crime occur?
- what are the physical and social characteristics of the crime site?
- what movements bring offenders and targets together at the crime site?
- how does the physical “location in time and space” interact with the offender, the target/victim, and the law that makes the crime an illegal act?
What related patterns do environmental criminologists map crimes to?
- the number of targets
- the offender population
- the location of routine activities
- to security
- to traffic flow
Describe the 10 principles of opportunity and crime
- opportunities play a role in causing all crime
- Crime opportunities are very specific
- crime opportunities are conc. in time and space
- crime opportunities depend on everyday movements (i.e. our routines)
- One crime produces opportunities for another
- Some products offer more tempting crime opportunities (e.g. a flat screen TV is more tempting than a refrigerator)
- Social and technological changes produce new crime opportunities (e.g. the creation of ATMs –> ATM theft)
- opportunities for crime can be reduced
- reducing opportunities does not usually displace crime
- focused opportunity reductions can produce wider decreases in crime
Who developed the rational-choice perspective?
Clarke and Cornish
What theoretical approaches were used to base the rational-choice perspective on? (describe each)
- utilitarianism: people make decisions is the goal of maximizing pleasures and minimizing pain
- economic choice theory: argues that people evaluate the options and choose what they believe will satisfy their needs
What are choice-structuring properties?
involvement in crime depends on a personal decision made after one has weighed available info
What are the seven categories in which choice structuring properties to commit a crime tend to fall into
- the number of targets and their accessibility
- familiarity with the chosen method (e.g. fraud by credit card)
- the monetary yield per crime (if they’re after money)
- the expertise needed (knowing more about the crime itself)
- the time required to commit the act
- the physical danger involved
- the risk of apprehension
describe the characteristics (4) of the rational-choice model
- people choose to commit crime
- limited sense of rationality implied
- crime is ordinary
- each type of crime has its own choice structuring properties
What did Cohen and Felson notice about the crime rates post WWII in the US? Did current theories explains this? Why was the cause of the crime rate?
observation: crime rates increased and current theories were like Merton; job creation was high and unemployment was low
Merton’s theory doesn’t explain this
reason: women’s movement, technology advancements, increased divorce rates, travel –> target suitability increases and guardianship decreases
- women are working –> empty homes during the day
- increase stuff to steal (e.g. record players, radios, TV, etc.)
- what was once one household is now two –> more stuff, fewer people home
- being away on vacation
According to routine-activity approach what four aspects does crime require?
- motivated offender (criticized here)
- suitable target
- absence of a capable guardian (e.g. alarm system, patrolling police officer, a person who’s home)
- no person to control the activities of the likely offender (personal handler)
What is the general gist of the lifestyle theory propositions?
don’t go out at night in public places (and if you do, don’t very often) and stay home with your family
What is Marvin Wolfgang’s theory? What term did he coin? What was his observations? Describe how this can be extended to gangs.
theory = victim-offender interaction
term = victim precipitation –> situations where victims initiate confrontations that lead to their death
observation = estimated that 1/4 - 1/2 of intentional homicides are victim-precipitated
gangs –> by virtue of being involved with gangs, you’re initiating what can be your demise
what is secondary victimization? Give an example
re-victimization of the individual by people such as the police or family members
- e.g. they don’t believe you or ask why’d you go out at night dressed like that?
