Routine Activity Theory and Victimization

Routine activity theory is described as the theory of criminal events (Cohen & Felson, 2016). The theory focuses on how the criminal events are generated as opposed to other criminological theories that attempt to explore the reasons behind certain criminal events. Therefore, according to routine activity theory, involving in some daily or routine activities in certain communities or societies either daily or more frequently often gives an opportunity and likelihood that an individual is likely to commit certain crimes (Cohen & Felson, 2016). For example, if a person is fond of traveling from home to workplace and vice-versa on a daily routine, this would strongly influence chances of crime occurrence and especially is likely to influence where, when and who to victimize. In this regard, the theory has widely been used in criminology to explore crime patterns and trends over the years thus enhancing security surveillance, understanding and mitigating certain crimes. Moreover, the routine activity theory is also used in conjunction with other environmental criminology theories to increase the success of crime prevention outcomes. 

The routine activity theory has three major elements which must be readily available for any crime to take place and they include the absence of a capable keeper/guardian, a probable offender, and presence of a suitable target (Cohen & Felson, 2016). This means that if a person’s keeper is absent and the person finds himself in his daily routine then he is likely to commit crime very easily. For example, John who is a personal assistant to Bob is likely to forge bank details of his boss if the boss fails to come to work due to other engagements especially when John has been doing it for a long time. This means that the human mind tends to get curious and explore more in case the mind is routinely engaged in a certain activity, especially for a long time. 

Reference 

Cohen, L. E., & Felson, M. (2016). Social Change and Crime Rate Trends: A Routine Activity Approach (1979). In Classics in Environmental Criminology (pp. 203-232). CRC Press.