Theories of Crime
The role a motivated offender, a suitable target, and the absence of capable guardianship play on crime.
What is routine activity theory?
A person who is directly harmed by an offence.
What is a primary victim?
The age and gender demographic who report the greatest number of crimes experienced.
All behaviours, prosocial or antisocial, are learned.
What is social learning theory?
The academic, scientific study of victim phenomena and related factors.
What is victimology?
They often lack basic forms of shelter and security; exposed to repeat victimisation; and may distrust police.
The Unhoused
Personality traits like low self-control play a major role in victimisation and offending risk.
What is self-control theory?
The crime data used by institutions such as the police or courts.
What are official statistics?
Often associated with moral panics. This group faces additional challenges like language barriers and distrust of authority.
Migrant Communities
Criminal behaviour stems from barriers and subsequent antisocial means of achieving goals.
What is strain theory?
Assigning sole responsibility of victimisation to the victim.
What is victim blaming?
This group experiences higher rates of domestic violence and/or abuse from carers. Group specific victimisation make include interference with medical equipment or withdrawal of medication.
People with Disabilities
What is lifestyle exposure theory?
The capacity of a community to create and maintain a prosocial environment.
What is Collective Efficacy
5x more likely to be victims of assault. Significant stigma surrounds this group, including the myth that they are more likely to commit crimes.
People with Mental Illnesses