Routine activity theories (including place management, lifestyles, and opportunity)  

These describe criminal activity as being a result of the convergence of time and space of three fundamental elements – motivated offenders, suitable targets, and absence of capable guardians against violation. They also help to explain why certain events are often concentrated at specific places.

One aspect of this type of theory describes how behaviour is regulated at locations by ‘place managers’. Place managers are owners of places or people acting on behalf of the owner. Locations that consistently experience crime and disorder are where there is an absence of place management. However, where individuals are repeatedly victimised, but the locations of where they are victims differ, the role of place managers has less of an effect. In these cases it is often more to do with the occupations, commuting patterns or lifestyles of the potential victims that has a larger effect.

Related theories of crime opportunities suggest the need to direct attention to concentrations of potential crime targets. Areas where there are large numbers of crime targets (people or property) provide a greater opportunity to offend.

See the  Contacts section for more details about Criminology Theory.

Back to Theoretical Perspectives