Environmental Criminology

Question 1

What are the Top 3 Most Stolen Vehicles Canada 2022?

Answer 1

1. Honda CR-V
2. Dodge Ram
3. Ford F150

Question 2

What did Cohen and Felson: “Routine Activity Theory” Argue

Answer 2

argues that:
- single-adult households and those employed outside the home have higher crime rates
-adolescents and young adults, who are more likely to engage in peer group activities, will have higher crime rates
- married people will have lower crime rates

Question 3

What are Cohen and Felson: “Routine Activity Theory” Support for their arguments

Answer 3

• burglary and robbery rates are higher for single adult households
• larger households have lower crime rates
• age of the head of household is inversely related to crime rates

Question 4

What are Routine activity structures and parallels trends in crime rates

Answer 4

1. there has been dramatic increase in crime rates since 1960
2. the routine activities of Americans significantly changed
   - female college students increased
   - married female labor participation increased
   - more households were left unattended
   - increases were seen in, out of-town travel

Question 5

Why has there been an increase in the number of suitable targets for offenders

Answer 5

• personal consumer spending increased dramatically between 1960 and 1970
• increase in motor vehicles
• dramatic increase in small durable products (weight of tv’s and many products decreased at this time)

Question 6

What is the relation with business and crime?

Answer 6

business saw an increase in crime
- increased the value of merchandise they transport and sell as well as the money involved in these transactions
- the tempo of business activity increased dramatically

Question 7

What was the construction of crime trends?

Answer 7

• because of the change in routine activities since WW2, the theory hypothesizes there should be greater increases in personal and household victimization compared to business victimizations (with shoplifting being the biggest increase in business victimization)
• support:
  –> commercial burglaries decreased, while daytime residential burglaries increased
  –> shoplifting increased

Question 8

What are some situational strategies?

Answer 8

• Deny the access of motivated offenders to suitable targets
  1. potential targets are carefully guarded
  2. means to commit crime are controlled
  3, Potential offenders are carefully monitored
• example: defensible space: a home security system signals guardianship: the reward is not worth the risk of apprehension

Question 9

What are some situational crime prevention strategies?

Answer 9

1. Community strategies
   - control kids in and out of school
2. Target hardening and target reduction
   - the “club”, locking doors, hiding valuables, I.D. property

Question 10

What some of the Advantages and problems with situational prevention?

Answer 10

Advantages
1. Diffusion of benefits
- surveillance reduces other crimes
- crackdowns in one area may lead to reductions in other areas
2. Discouragement
- may give up crime entirely
Problems
1. Displacement
- six types
2. Extinction
- Benefits are short lived

Question 11

What are the 6 types of displacement?

Answer 11

1. Temporal: offenders perpetrate crimes at less risky times
2. Target: difficult targets are given up for easier ones
3. Spatial: offenders. move to less protected areas
4. Tactical: tactics are changed to get around security measures
5. Perpetrator: new offenders take the place of those who are apprehended
6. Type of crime: offenders take up another type of crime if one type is too difficult

Question 12

What are the foundations of environmental theories?

Answer 12

Traditional theories often focused on offenders and their motivations for crime
● Environmental theorists, however, are concerned with crime on a macro level
○ Instead of focusing on the individual characteristics of criminals
○ Broader patterns/trends
● Major focus on the opportunity to commit a crime
○ Crime only occurs when an offender and the opportunity to offend are both present
○ Assumes that there are always willing offenders
● The presence/absence of opportunity shapes when and where crime events take place
● Environmental criminology is conducive to crime prevention
○ Crime can be stopped by removing either the criminal or the opportunity
○ Manipulating opportunities (eg: using alarm systems, or locks to limit the opportunity
for crime)

Question 13

What are the 2 factors environmental theories focus on?

Answer 13

1. explaining crime events
2. exploring the causal role of opportunity

Question 14

What are 4 main environmental theories?

Answer 14

1. Routine Activities theory
2. Offender search theory
3. situational crime prevention
4. broken windows

Question 15

What is the difference between routine activities theory and rational choice theory?

Answer 15

RAT
- macro
RCT
- micro

Question 16

what happens if crime is rational?

Answer 16

• Mapping” can show patterns in criminal activity
• “Hot spots” can be the basis for allocating police resources

Question 17

What are the 3 elements that must converge for a crime to occur?

Answer 17

1. Motivated offender
2. suitable target
3. lack of capable guardian
   - 2) and 3) are seen as the core dimensions of criminal opportunity - b/c there are always motivated offenders
   - The lack of any of these elements can prevent crime

Question 18

What is Routine Activities theory?

Answer 18

● Takes the supply of motivated offenders as a given
● Explain the variations in crime in the supply of suitable targets and capable offenders
○ Suitable targets have to do with the benefits of crime, while capable guardians have to do with the cost
○ Supply of suitable targets and the presence of capable guardians are a function of our everyday routine activities
● They originally applied to direct-conduct predatory offences but have now been extended to apply to a broad range of crime
● Similar to lifestyle theory
○ Argues some groups in society tend to pursue lifestyles that increase their exposure to
risk of victimization
■ Theories like these tend to blame the victim
● The spatial and temporal structure of routine activities plays an important role in determining location, type and quantity of illegal acts in the community

Question 19

Micro level assumptions

Answer 19

● Routine Activities are any recurrent and prevalent activities that provide for basic population and individual needs
● Routine Activities can occur:
1. At home
2. At jobs away from home
3. Other activities away from home
● Since WWII, the US experienced a shift in routine activities
○ Ppl became more likely to spend time away from home, leading to lack of capable guardians (eg: homes unattended during the day)
○ Individuals more often in public locations increasing suitable targets
○ Rise of certain types of predatory crimes

Question 20

empirical support

Answer 20

● Argues household and family activities entail a lower risk of criminal victimization than
non-household activities
○ Victimization is lower among relatives and lower for groups
● Argues expensive movable durables have higher risk of theft ○ Vehicles, electronics are overrepresented in thefts
● Industry reports suggest auto thefts in Ontario and Quebec increased 50% since 2022 ○ 300% increase in Toronto

Question 21

why?

Answer 21

Increased demand for vehicles and autoparts due to industry disruptions;
○ Technological advancements (keyless entry)
Involvement in organized crime
○ Lack of enforcement