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Sie befinden sich hier: Home / Theories of crime / Rational Choice / Routine Activity Theory (RAT)

Routine Activity Theory (RAT)

4. June 2019 | zuletzt aktualisiert am 6. December 2020 von Christian Wickert

The Routine Activity Theory states that the occurrence of a crime is likely if there is a motivated offender and a suitable target, with the simultaneous absence of a capable guardian.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

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  • Main proponents
  • Theory
  • Implications for Criminal Policy
    • 25 Situational Prevention Techniques
  • Critical Appraisal & Relevance
  • Literature

Main proponents

Lawrence E. Cohen, Marcus Felson, Ronald V. Clarke

Theory

According to Cohen and Felson, crime rates depend on the constantly changing lifestyles and behaviours of the population. Depending on the time and place, three factors that are decisive for Cohen and Felson and are responsible for the occurrence or absence of criminal behaviour vary (see diagram).

Scheme of the routine activity theory (rat)

Accordingly, the requirement for crime is a offender motivated to commit a crime, whereby this motivation can be of very different nature.

Then there must be an object suitable for the offender (potential victim, tempting object, etc.). There are various factors that influence whether the object is suitable: value, size/weight and visibility of the object as well as access to the object.

Last but not least, the lack of informal or formal control should be mentioned as protection for the object of the crime. This can be personal control, but also technical control: police officers and security personnel, video surveillance and alarm systems, attentive passers-by, neighbours, friends and staff.

In summary, the Routine Activity Theory describes crime as a situational event that depends less on the offender’s personality and socialization than on the situation in which the offender finds himself.

Implications for Criminal Policy

The criminal policy consequence of Rational Choice Theory, of Deterrence Theories, but above all of the Routine Activity Theory is the so-called Situational Crime Prevention.

This form of criminal policy does not attempt to prevent future crime by rehabilitating, deterring or segregating the perpetrator, but rather by reducing the contextual and situational possibilities for crime. The task of politics is therefore to change our common living environment in such a way that the number of opportunities to commit crimes is reduced.

In a later extension, Clarke and Eck (2005) extended the approach to 25 techniques of situational crime prevention. In addition to the theoretical foundations mentioned above, the reference to Sykes’ and Matza’s techniques of neutralization is noticeable here (see 5th column of the table: Reduce Excuses).

25 Situational Prevention Techniques

Increase the effortIncrease the risksReduce the rewardsReduce provocationsRemove excuses
1. Target harden

  • Steering column locks and ignition immobilizers

  • Anti-robbery screens

  • Tamper-proof packaging

6. Extend guardianship

  • Go out in group at night

  • Leave signs of occupancy

  • Carry cell phone

11. Conceal targets

  • Off-street parking

  • Gender-neutral phone directories

  • Unmarked armoured trucks

16. Reduce frustrations and stress

  • Efficient lines

  • Polite service

  • Expanded seating

  • Soothing music/muted lighting

21. Set rules

  • Rental agreements

  • Harassment codes

  • Hotel registration

2. Control access to facilities

  • Entry phones access

  • Electronic card

7. Assist natural surveillance

  • Improved street lighting

  • Defensible space design

  • Support whistle-blowers

12. Remove targets

  • Removable car radio

  • Women's shelters

  • Pre-paid cards for pay phones

17. Avoid disputes

  • Separate seating for rival soccer fans

  • Reduce crowding in bars

  • Fixed cab fares

22. Post instructions

  • ‘No Parking’

  • ‘Private Property’

  • ‘Extinguish camp fires’

3. Screen exits

  • Ticket needed for exit

  • Export documents

  • Electronic merchandise tags

8. Reduce anonymity

  • Taxi-driver IDs

  • ‘How's my driving?’ deals

  • School uniforms

13. Identify property

  • Property marking

  • Vehicle licensing and parts marking

  • Cattle branding

Reduce temptation and arousal

  • Controls on violent pornography

  • Enforce good behaviour on soccer field

  • Prohibit racial slurs

23. Alert conscience

  • Roadside speed display boards

  • Signatures for customs declarations

  • `Shoplifting is stealing’

4. Deflect offenders

  • Street closures

  • Separate facilities for women

  • Disperse pubs

9. Use place managers

  • CCTV for double-deck buses

  • Two clerks for convenience stores

  • Reward vigilance

14. Disrupt markets

  • Monitor pawn shops

  • Controls on classified ads

  • Licensed street vendors

19. Neutralize peer pressure

  • ‘Idiots drink and drive’

  • ‘It's OK to say No’

  • Disperse trouble-makers at school

24. Assist compliance

  • Easy library checkout

  • Public lavatories

  • Litter receptacles

5. Control tools/weapons

  • ‘Smart’ guns

  • Restrict spray-paint sales to juveniles

  • Toughened beer glasses

10. Strengthen formal surveillance

  • Red-light cameras

  • Burglar alarms

  • Security guards

15. Deny benefits

  • Ink merchandise tags

  • Graffiti cleaning

  • Disabling stolen cell phones

20. Discourage imitation

  • Rapid repair of vandalism

  • V-chips in TVs

  • Censor details of modus operandi

25. Control drugs and alcohol

  • Breathalysers in bars

  • Server intervention programs

  • Alcohol-free events

(Clarke, 2005, p. 46f.)

It is also worth mentioning Clarke’s demand that the judicial system should only be used as a last resort. The focus should be on natural strategies for situational crime prevention, so that it seems convenient and sensible for people in individual situations to behave in a legal manner. An example of this would be an appropriate parking policy aimed at preventing illegal parking.

Critical Appraisal & Relevance

The Routine Activity Theory can be appreciated as a theoretical basis for the first time no longer purely perpetrator-oriented concept of Situational Crime Prevention.

Their success in reducing crime has been proven in numerous studies. However, situational crime prevention has to face the criticism of offence shifting, after which crime does not decrease, but merely shifts to temporal, spatial, methodological and other dimensions. Critics also warn that by concentrating on situational factors, the actual root causes of crime remain untouched.

In addition, the routine activity approach suffers from the same weaknesses as the rational choice theory and the deterrence theories: because there, too, a rational and therefore deterrent person is assumed, but emotional, psychological, social and developmental factors are ignored.

Finally, it could be argued that situational criminal policy stands for a conservative world view characterized by the call for more surveillance and the exclusion of marginalized social groups. Moreover, the “clinical” view of crime as the result of inadequate protection against situational risks does not allow for an empathetic attitude toward crime victims (who, according to this view, have failed to “manage” the risks of crime sufficiently).

Literature

  • Clarke, R. V. (2005). Seven misconceptions of situational crime prevention. In: N. Tiiley (Ed.). Handbook of Crime Prevention and Community Safety (pp. 39-70).  London: Routledge. URL: https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/doi/10.4324/9781843926146.ch3
  • Clarke, R. V. & Eck, J. E. (2005). Crime analysis for problem solvers: In 60 small steps. Washington DC: Office of Community Oriented Policing.
  • Clarke, R. V. (1993): Routine activity and rational choice. New Brunswick, NJ.
  • Clarke, R. V. (1995): Situational crime prevention. In: Michael Tonry: Building a safer society: strategic approaches to crime prevention. Chicago.
  • Cohen, L. E.; Felson, M. (1979): Social change and crime rate trends: a routine activity approach. American Sociological Review, 44 (4), pp .588-608.

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Kategorie: Theories of Crime Tags: 1979, aetiological, control, macro, Rational Choice, Routine Activity Approach, situation, sociology, USA

Primary Sidebar

Lektionen

  • Classical Criminology
    Cesare Beccaria & Jeremy Bentham
  • Rational Choice Theory
    Derek Cornish & Ronald Clarke
  • Deterrence Theories
    Various Authors
  • Routine Activity Theory (RAT)
    Cohen & Felson

Übungsaufgaben

Klassische Schule der Kriminologie

  1. Was waren die zentralen kriminalpolitischen Forderungen von Cesare Beccaria?
  2. Was ist Benthams Panopticon im Unterschied zu herkömmlichen Gefängnissen?
  3. Aus was resultiert nach Beccaria und Co. Kriminalität?
  4. Wieso bezeichnet man die Klassische Kriminologie als „tatorientiert“ und was ist der entscheidende Unterschied zu ätiologischen Theorien der Kriminologie?
  5. Wie stark oder wie schwach ist die Orientierung des aktuell geltenden Strafrechts an der klassischen Schule im Vergleich zur Orientierung an der positivistisch-ätiologischen Schule?

Rational Choice

  1. Was sind die Grundannahmen des ökonomischen Ansatzes der rationalen Wahlhandlung und was ist unter dem Begriff „rationaler Akteur“ zu verstehen?
  2. Was ist – übertragen auf kriminelle Handlungen – unter Nutzen und Kosten einer Handlung zu verstehen bzw. welche Beispiele sind hier vorstellbar?
  3. Wo liegt die Verbindung zwischen der Klassischen Kriminalitätstheorie und der Theorie der rationalen Wahlhandlung?
  4. Was ist gemeint, wenn von einer Erweiterung des rational-choice-Ansatzes um soziale und psychologische Faktoren die Rede ist?
  5. Wieso ist der Erklärungsgehalt dieser erweiterten Fassung der rational choice theory sehr gering oder gar gleich null?

Abschreckungstheorien

  1. Was ist der Unterschied zwischen genereller und spezifischer Abschreckung?
  2. Auf welchen Theorien und Theoretikern basieren die Abschreckungstheorien?
  3. Was sind mögliche Folgen von Videoüberwachungen gut besuchter Orte?
  4. Welche Untersuchungen sowohl für als auch gegen die Annahme abschreckender Wirkungen von Todesstrafen lassen sich finden?
  5. Was verbirgt sich hinter den zur Abschreckung alternativen Konzepten „just deserts“, „retribution“ und „incapacitation“?

Routine Activity Approach

  1. Was sind die drei Elemente des routine activity approach und welche Beispiele lassen sich jeweils für sie finden?
  2. Was unterscheidet die situational crime prevention von anderen kriminalpolitischen Programmen?
  3. Was sind natürliche Strategien der situationalen Kriminalprävention?
  4. Welche Prozesse verbergen sich unter dem Sammelbegriff „Deliktsverlagerung“?
  5. Was sind die gemeinsamen theoretischen Stärken und Schwächen aller (neo-) klassischen Ansätze und worin liegen demnach die Grenzen abschreckender und situationaler Kriminalprävention?

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SozTheo is a collection of information and resources aimed at all readers interested in sociology and criminology. SozTheo was created as a private page by Prof. Dr. Christian Wickert, lecturer in sociology and criminology at the University of Applied Sciences for Police and Public Administration in North Rhine-Westphalia (HSPV NRW). The contributions and linked articles available here do not necessarily reflect the official opinion, attitude or curricula of the HSPV NRW.

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