The Routine Activities Theory in Delinquency

Routine Activities Theory

• Proponents of routine activities theory believe that crime is normal, but dependent upon the opportunities to commit the crime. if the opportunity exists and the reward is great enough, a crime is all but assured. For example, an easily accessible, unmanned cash register in a convenience store would present too tempting a target for some person to pass up, whether a hardened criminal or someone who has never before committed a crime.

The Opportunity

• According to this theory, responsibility for the crime lies more with the victim than the offender. The most important factor in whether a crime will be committed is not the presence of an experienced criminal or a socially deviant person, but whether there is an opportunity for a crime to be committed. In routine activities theory, social issues such as poverty and unemployment are not seen as factors in crime, as these do not alter the opportunity. Therefore it's not surprising that routine activity theory is controversial among sociologists who believe crime is the result of social factors. However, routine activities theory does explain certain types of crime better than others, such as illegal downloading of movies and music, office theft and even embezzlement. In all these cases, the perpetrator is unlikely to be a hardened criminal, and the crime is committed because the opportunity exists.

Three Elements

• With respect to juvenile delinquency, routine activities theory suggests that three elements must be in place to create the ideal scenario for a crime to be committed. These are potential offenders, suitable targets and guardians who are incapable, unwilling or absent. The motivation behind the crime lies primarily with the opportunity, and an unsupervised minor presented with such an opportunity is easily tempted to commit a crime.

Preventing Crime

• The routine activities theory is also effective in explaining the motivations behind property crime, and also offers solutions for preventing property crime. The theory implies that crime can be prevented by disabling one of the three elements necessary for creating the ideal opportunity. The theory suggests that a potential victim can reduce his chances of becoming a victim of crime by simply changing his activities and routines in such a manner that either eliminates the opportunity or makes a crime more difficult to commit. For example, varying your routine to make periods of absences less predictable can greatly reduce the opportunity.