Routine Activity Theory
Updated 2026-08-04
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
A theory of crime developed by Lawrence Cohen and Marcus Felson. Crime is explained not by the psychology of offenders but by the convergence of three elements: a motivated offender, a suitable target, and the absence of a capable guardian such as a person, camera, or lock. Changes in everyday routines, for example more households empty during the day, alter the supply of suitable targets and thus crime rates. The framework underlies situational crime prevention, and it implies that removing any one element blocks the offense without changing anyone's motivation.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- Triangle check: verify whether all three elements are present before designing an intervention. - Opportunity focus: act on targets and guardians instead of trying to change offenders' motives. - Routine review: examine how schedule or process changes have reshaped the supply of opportunities.
Anchor fast decisions
A motivated offender is a nearly constant input, so variation in crime rates comes mainly from the other two elements. Guarding removes the target from reach, and hardening makes the attempt costly relative to the reward. Because the offender does not need to be reformed for the offense to be prevented, interventions can be applied to the situation itself. The theory predicts that changes in routine patterns shift crime spatially and temporally rather than eliminating it, unless guardianship rises overall.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/1Practice this model in one real situation:
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Source support: Explicit
- en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Routine_activity_theoryverified
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