Practical Skills
Routine Activity Theory
Routine Activity Theory (RAT)
Introduction
RAT was developed by Marcus Felson, a criminologist who has worked for a number of years on crime prevention theories. The theory explains why crimes occur and looks at the three elements present when any crime is committed. RAT is sometimes called the basic crime triangle.
There are many theories around that attempt to explain how and why crimes occur, but this one is a well-known theory which provides a straightforward explanation of why crimes occur. It can be used as a practical tool by crime reduction/prevention practitioners to analyse crime problems.
What the Theory Says
RAT argues that when a crime occurs, three things happen at the same time and in the same space:
-
a suitable target is available
-
there is the lack of a suitable guardian to prevent the crime from happening
-
a likely and motivated offender is present.
The first condition for crime is that a suitable target must be available. The word target has been chosen carefully, rather than other words such as victim.
There are three major categories of target. A target can either be:
-
a person
-
an object
-
a place.
There are plenty of potential targets around us, but not all of them are suitable. Four things make a target suitable to an offender and these use the acronym VIVA:
Value. The offender must either value the target for what they gain or value the effect they have on it. For example, a burglary might occur because the burglar wants the stolen items or wants the money made from selling them. On the other hand, an offender might damage a bus stop, because they get or satisfaction from causing the damage. The satisfaction of causing the damage is what is of value to the offender.
Inertia. The size or weight of an item can effect how suitable it is. For example, items such as CDs and watches are suitable targets for shoplifters because they are small and portable.
Visibility. How visible a target is can affect its suitability. For example, items left in view of a window or someone counting money near a cash point machine are visible targets.
Access. If a target is easy to get to, this increases its suitability. So, goods displayed outside shops, or someone walking through a deserted street alone at night are accessible.
VIVA summarises the attributes of the broader class
of targets of predatory crime and was set out in 1979.
Since then there has been much more research on the
subject of “hot products” and modifications have been
made to address the targets of theft specifically. These
have resulted in the model of theft targets “CRAVED”,
identifying six important properties: these products
are generally Concealable, Removable,
Available, Valuable, Enjoyable
and Disposable. For more information on CRAVED,
read Hot
Products: understanding, anticipating and reducing demand
for stolen goods by RV Clarke, Police Research Series
Paper 112 (1999) 
PDF (1.02 Mb).
No matter how suitable a target is, an offence won’t occur unless a capable guardian is absent and a likely offender is present.
The first condition for crime is that there must be a suitable target present. The second condition is that a capable guardian whose presence would discourage a crime from taking place must be absent.
A capable guardian is anything, either a person or thing, that discourages crime from taking place. These can be formal or informal.
Some examples of capable guardians:
-
police patrols
-
security guards
-
Neighbourhood Watch schemes
-
doorstaff
-
locks
-
fences
-
barriers
-
lighting
-
alarm systems
-
vigilant staff and co-workers
-
friends
-
neighbours
-
Close Circuit Television (CCTV) systems
Some of the guardians are formal and deliberate, like security guards; some are informal and inadvertent, such as neighbours.
It is also possible for a guardian to be present, but ineffective. For example a CCTV camera is not a capable guardian if it is set up or sited wrongly. Staff might be present in a shop, but may not have sufficient training or awareness to be an effective deterrent.
When a suitable target is unprotected by a capable guardian there is a chance that a crime will take place. The final element in this picture is that a likely offender has to be present.
RAT looks at crime from an offender’s point of view. A crime will only be committed if a likely offender thinks that a target is suitable and a capable guardian is absent. It is their assessment of a situation that determines whether a crime will take place.
Likely offenders have many different reasons for committing offences. It is important that you understand what some of these are. The ability to analyse a situation from an offender’s point of view will increase your effectiveness as a crime reduction practitioner.
The list of possible reasons why people commit offences is potentially endless! Here is list some of the main ones broken down under various categories. The list isn’t exhaustive.
Gain/Need
-
poverty
-
to feed a drug habit
-
greed.
Society/Experience/Environment
-
living in a culture where crime is acceptable
-
because of peer pressure
-
coercion
-
lack of education
-
poor employment prospects
-
family background
-
mental illness
-
poor housing
-
envy
-
as a rebellion against authority.
Beliefs
-
a belief that crime in general or particular crimes aren’t wrong
-
as a protest on a matter of principle
-
prejudice against certain minority/ethnic groups.
Many of the reasons why people commit crime are complex, and one or more are often linked. So, for example, although drug dependency may be the primary reason why someone commits an offence, there may be underlying reasons. Poverty or lack of employment might have caused the drug addiction in the first place and lead indirectly in to crime.
Summary
The presence of a likely offender is the last condition for crime and completes the basic crime triangle.
So, for a crime to occur:
...a likely offender must find a suitable target in the absence of a capable guardian...
This can be summarised in a diagram
How You Can Use RAT
Practical uses:
-
as the basis for a definition of crime prevention
-
as a risk analysis tool.
A Definition of Crime Prevention
So far we have looked at the conditions that must apply if an offence is to be committed. This is a good definition of why crimes occur, but on its own does not explain how you can prevent them. However, if you look at things from a different angle, RAT is useful.
An offender, a target, and an absent capable guardian are needed for a crime to happen. But if you change one of the conditions, this will prevent the offence from happening.
So, for example:
-
property marking items can make them unsuitable targets
-
setting up a Neighbourhood Watch scheme can provide a capable guardian in an area where one didn’t exist before
-
youth schemes, like those run by the Prince’s Trust, can divert likely offenders from their offending behaviour.
In all of these examples one of the conditions of crime has been changed in a way that could tend to prevent or reduce crime.
A basic working definition of crime prevention is:
Any action that modifies one of the conditions for crime and prevents crime from happening or reduces its occurrence.
To carry out risk analyses of potential crime situations whether small-scale problems or large scale strategic ones.
RAT can be used as one of a set of basic tools to help in risk analysis. In any situation where a crime has occurred or where there is potential for crime, you should be asking yourself some basic questions:
-
what are the potential targets?
-
what or who could act as a capable guardian for these targets?
-
which offenders are likely to be interested in the targets?
The answers to these questions can help you identify problem areas and can be used as a basis to develop more detailed solutions.
Reading List
Clarke, R. V. and M. Felson (Eds.) (1993). Routine
Activity and Rational Choice.
Advances in Criminological Theory, Vol 5. New Brunswick,
NJ: Transaction
Books.
Cohen, L.E. and M. Felson(1979). Social change
and crime rate trends: a routine
activity approach . American Sociological Review,
Vol 44, Pages 588-608.
Felson, M. (1997). Technology, business,
and crime . In Felson, M. and R.V. Clarke
Business and Crime Prevention. Monsey, NY: Criminal
Justice Press.
Felson, M. (1998). Crime and Everyday Life
, Second Edition. Thousand Oaks,
CA: Pine Forge Press.
Felson, M. and R.V. Clarke (1998). Opportunity
Makes the Thief . Crime
Detection and Prevention Series, Paper 98. Police Research
Group. London: Home
Office. www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/prgpdfs/fprs98.pdf
PDF 416
Kb
Acknowledgement
The description of RAT has been adapted from the Crime
Reduction College Course Passport.
Last update: 27/08/03