5. Routine ActivitiesTheory
Routine activities theory is commonly used to explain why and how
youth are at a heightened risk of being involved in offending behavior and
of being victimized. Since an individual’s demographics influence their
daily activities, they are predictive of their risk of victimization.
Young unmarried males experience the highest frequency of
victimization; their nightly activities, then, provide significant support for
the theory, as it is these that take them away from the security of the
home. By being out at night, these youth come into increased contact with
offenders, partake in high-risk behaviors such as drug and alcohol use,
participate in delinquent activities themselves, and frequent high-risk
situations and areas (Kennedy and Ford, 1990; Lauritsen, Sampson and
Laub, 1991). Therefore, as a consequence of their routine activities and
lifestyle, they are at a substantially higher risk for victimization. Felson
(1997))
6. Existing research points to a powerful connection between residing in an
adverse environment and participating in criminal acts (McCord, Widom,
and Crowell, 2001). Sociological theories of deviance hypothesize that
"disorganized neighborhoods have weak social control networks; that weak
social control, resulting from isolation among residents and high residential
turnover, allows criminal activity to go unmonitored" (Herrenkohl et al.,
2001:221).
Although researchers debate the interaction between environmental and
personal factors, most agree that "living in a neighborhood where there are
high levels of poverty and crime increases the risk of involvement in serious
crime for all children growing up there" (McCord, Widom, and Crowell,
2001:89)
8. Sociobiological scholars have also drawn a connection between exposure to
dangerous contaminants – including copper, mercury, chlorine, artificial coloring,
food dyes, etc. – and both aggressive and anti-social behavior (see Rappaport, 2004;
Ellis, 2005). A great deal of recent research has focused on the possible relationship
between lead poisoning and violence.
One study, for example, found that communities with the highest concentrations
of lead in the air also reported the highest levels of homicide and other forms of
violence (Stretesky and Lynch, 2001). A number of studies have also found that lead
poisoning is one of the most significant predictors of male delinquency and
persistent adult criminality (see Denno, 1996; McCall and Land, 2004). Needleman
(1996), for example, tracked several hundred boys from ages seven through eleven
and found that those with high concentrations of lead in their bones were much more
likely to demonstrate attention deficit problems, poor language skills, delinquency,
and aggression. High lead ingestion is also linked to lower IQ scores – a factor that
can contribute to youth violence (Neisser et al., 1996).
9. In the last three decades, theories of crime have been greatly informed by an influx
of thinking that supersedes criminology’s traditionally myopic focus on offenders. Most
Notably, the exposure/lifestyle theory (Hindelang et al. 1978), One’s environment can
play a plethora of roles in determining the probability of deviant behavior. The risk
factors are criminal elements and pollution which can have profound effects on one’s
behavior.
10. Chicago Sun times
Cohen, L. E., and M. Felson. 1979. Social change and crime rate trends:
A routine activity approach. American Sociological Review 44:588–608
Drugabuse.gov
Environmental Crime and Justice. Michael J. Lynch, Paul B. Stretesky
Felson, Marcus. 2002. Crime and everyday life, 3d ed.Thousand Oaks,
CA: Sage
Lilly, J. R., Cullen, F.T. & Ball, R. A. (2011). Criminological Theory:
Context and consequences (5th Ed.).Washington DC: Sage
Risk Factors for Delinquency: An Overview Michael Shader
Wortley, Richard, and Lorraine Mazzerole, eds. 2008. Environmental
criminology and crime analysis. Cullompton, UK: Willan
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