Читать книгу Criminology For Dummies - Steven Briggs - Страница 72

Some criminologists have turned their focus toward developing theories about why people become victims (as opposed to why people commit crimes). These new theories of victimization may help explain why groups of people are targeted more than others:

 Lifestyle Theory: The way you live your life impacts your vulnerability to crime. Hanging out with street gangs, drug dealers, or even heavy-drinking sorority sisters creates a greater risk of victimization.

 Precipitation Theory: Sometimes a person does something that leads to his assault. For example, a white supremacist may issue a racial slur and get punched in the face. But sometimes the victim doesn’t do anything explicit. A woman walking down the street holding her purse loosely may spark the interest of a nearby thief. Her passive act nonetheless may have precipated the crime. (This does not in any way excuse the criminal for the crime or place any blame on the victim. This theory is merely intended as an aid to understanding victimization.)

 Routine Activities Theory: First put forth by criminologists Lawrence Cohen and Marcus Felson, this theory holds that what determines whether a person is victimized results from that person’s routine activity, made up of these three factors:The presence of motivated offenders: For example, a large number of unemployed young males in the vicinity may increase the chance of being victimized. (Young, unemployed males are more likely to commit crime. See Chapter 3 for a discussion of crime statistics.)The absence of police or others who can deter crime (such as a neighborhood watch).The victim as a worthwhile target: In other words, the criminal stands to gain something from attacking the victim.

You probably see that Routine Activities Theory shares much in common with Lifestyle Theory. Both theories argue that a person’s environment can increase the risk of becoming a victim. Throughout this book you see that there is often significant overlap between different criminological theories that attempt to explain crime or crime victimization.