Victims - Criminological Theory And Crime Victims

Two major criminological theories often are used to interpret crime victimization. Lifestyle theories postulate that certain work and leisure patterns are more highly associated with crime victimization than others. Lifestyles are said to be influenced by three major considerations: the social roles that people play; their position in the social structure; and decisions about desirable behaviors (Hindelang, Gottfredson, and Garofalo). Thus, a woman working a job that ends in the early hours of the day may feel constrained financially to use public transportation and to walk several lonely blocks to her apartment because she cannot afford a taxi; she is more likely to become a crime victim than the woman riding in a taxi.

Routine activities concepts state that criminal offenses are related to the nature of everyday patterns of social existence. When most adults in a neighborhood are working, for instance, there is a greater likelihood that youngsters with increased freedom from adult supervision will get into trouble. So, too, houses unoccupied during the day make much more inviting targets than those with people at home or with neighbors who make it their business to be aware of what is occurring on the street (Cohen and Felson).