Abdiel Esquina Date: 2/27/2017
Professor: Delores Craig-Moreland CJ 893
Theory of routine activities
This theory emerged in the 1970s as a key element of criminology from a theoretical point of view. It responds to daily activities such as family activities, leisure activities, even in criminal activities, etc. This causes changes in individuals. Some scholars of this theory have come to the conclusion that if we made some changes in the daily pattern of behavior, they could influence the decrease in the crime rate, since criminal behavior occurs when three key factors are found in one place and at the same time. Example, “A motivated offender, an appropriate object and lastly the absence of effective vigilance to prevent crime.” The lack of one of these three elements can lead us to prevent criminal behavior. Since daily, routine or the repetition of an activity creates the atmosphere necessary for all kinds of crimes to be committed.
For example: we follow the same route from and to work, we do the shopping in the same places, religiously we pay services in the same institution, we take the children on the same route, etc. Unconsciously, we do not depart from that repetitive pattern of behavior. Creating the moment and the occasion for a thorough and routine study of our way of acting or conducting, this makes us vulnerable to become potential victims of criminals.
This theory is also intimately related to the opportunity factor, which has to do with the union of two specific aspects such as space and time or the occasion and the precise moment to be seen as the target or target in the sight of any antisocial.
Added to all this are two factors that also put us at risk to both a member and the whole family in general. These two factors are added by Felson who details them thus; first the lack of supervision and second the behavior of the so-called space manager—situation that has to do with those who care and control the space. Among them we can mention the porters, vigilantes, concierges etc.
Another writer adds a sixth element referring to the person who provides the offender with the tool, weapon or instrument to carry out the offense.
The theory in relation to the world of criminal justice:
The aim of criminal laws is to try to convince citizens not to commit crimes to avoid this, the consequences through punishments or penalties.
The criminal justice system dictates punishments with certainty to control and reduce crimes and that they know that criminal justice is above the infraction or harshness of the offender.
Criminal justice apart from the application of punishment also has an obligation to prevent crime by rewarding the good deeds of honest and respected citizens of the community.
Several references to the Criminal Justice System are:
Cybercrime: This problem has been solved through an analysis of theoretical studies and empirical study analysis, in addition to technological research with an emphasis on criminology.
To solve the cybercrimes specialists have been in need of using new techniques of technological communication.
Cybercrime are derived from other crimes such as computer hacker which consists of entering in the email of another person to investigate all the information updated and ranging from theft in bank accounts, cloning of credit cards, to identity theft through social security and among other things.
There is also the automobile theft through the computer, where they deactivate the sensors to unlock the computer of the car and that way to take it.
School harassment and sexual harassment, etc., is done through routine cybernetic surveillance where people are constantly called in to intimidate and frighten them with constant phone calls, obsessive love messages, including obscene and hateful chats, to emotionally misfit them.
Another pattern of computer crime is Cybernetic Pedophilia: that occurs through sexual harassment of children and adolescents, where the adult person hides his true identity behind the computer, posing as children to attract their attention and to love them, rape them and in some cases even kill them.
Economic Defrauding: It is through the online introduction for access to a person’s private information, for example: online payment for services, shopping, hacks of information that is private and that can compromise labor, family or social. It includes pirates, hackers, stalkers, etc.
We can also mention the guardians or network administrators, forum moderators who take advantage of the right moment to commit all kinds of crimes against users, co-workers, family members, etc.
Consumer Fraud: includes threating, defamation, extortion, sexual harassment, labor, etc. This type of crime consists of sending threats through the computer network of all kinds, to extort people for the misappropriation of sensitive information to force them to pay so that this information is not published on social networks. There is also the recruitment and reception of unwanted and child pornography, which go against the civic, moral and cultural values, etc.
In the midst of these references, the criminal justice system has the necessary resources to counteract all these computer crimes such as the installation of automatic protection system, firewalls, virtual private networks, anti-virus and anti-intrusion software, control systems Authentication and ID access.
So far we see that criminal justice has a fairly secure and stable high-tech virtual organization system to deal with the illicit association of the cybercrime.
Academic sources: here we can mention Laurence E Cohen and Marcus Felson in 1979, professors of situational perspective and study of the relationship between routine activities and crime, agreed that the crime requires three elements so that the offender carries out.
These three elements are: A motivated offender, appropriate target and the absence of effective surveillance.
Wright and Rosi in 1983 According to the studies conducted, they concluded that violent offenders prefer to avoid armed and dangerous victims, and for this reason they select victims who do not resist.
Doob and Webster: After a thorough review they concluded that holidays in severity of sentencing did not affect the level of crime in society.
Siegel and McCormick argue that crime prevention measures in television ads and public surveillance motivate criminals to move to places that are not under surveillance.
The theory of routine activities can be applied positively to reduce crime anywhere because it holds that criminals are less likely to commit crimes if they are offered the opportunity to achieve personal goals by legitimate means.
Criminal motivations can be reduced by working hard so that at-risk youth know that there are other alternatives that are better than delinquency.
For those who commit minor offenses, there are training and preparation programs whose purpose is to ensure that once they leave, they can integrate into society through jobs that are useful to them and their families.
This theory is primarily used to explain why young people are at social risk for crime, as well as the reasons that lead them to choose this lifestyle behind the rules and rules of normal behavior in any society. It also allows the creation of prevention and rehabilitation strategies to keep young people away from the criminal life.
The application of bond theory is an aspect that affects and influences the illicit association to commit a crime. It presents some aspects that increase the probability of participating in criminal acts because both the bond and the domain offer the opportunity to the young person to be attracted to the bad things.
In relation to the dominant theory as the word says the young at social risk will always be drawn to crime by another person who exercises dominion over him. Or else it will exert dominion over other young people and will also influence others towards criminal activity.
As regards the link this can be abusive because it is characterized by control and order to the weak. This link can also be paranoid depressive etc. This leaves vulnerable to the easier to control.
The risks that make it easy for a young man to end up being delinquent are found:
• In homes where family violence is practiced.
• Homes with absence of one of the two parents, lack of authority.
• Parenting in neighborhood breeding or disorganized neighborhoods
• The participation of young people in risk behaviors when drinking alcoholic beverages and when engaging in drug use.
• Participate in gangs and exposure to violence.
Participating in gangs and exposure to violence are the aspects that need to be corrected because they are those that in one way or another influence young people to become victimizers or victims of violence.
References
http://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780195396607/obo-9780195396607-0010.xml
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01639625.2015.1012409
http://www.popcenter.org/learning/pam/help/theory.cfm
http://www.jrrobertssecurity.com/articles/rat-catcher-crime-prevention.htm
http://www.children.gov.on.ca/htdocs/English/professionals/oyap/roots/volume5/chapter03_rational_choice.aspx
Preventing Piracy off Somalia: Insights from Routine Activity Theory
(11th ed.) Siegel, L. J. (2013). Criminology: Theories, patterns, and typologies. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning.