Sociology & Criminology for a Changing World
Victimology is the scientific study of victims of crime, their experiences, and their interactions with offenders, society, and the criminal justice system. As a subfield of criminology, it emerged in the mid-20th century and has since developed into an independent research tradition. Victimisation, by contrast, refers to the process and experience of becoming a victim.
Situational Crime Prevention (SCP) is an evidence-based strategy that reduces crime by altering environmental conditions and increasing the perceived risks for offenders. It shifts the focus from changing offender motivation to managing the situations in which crimes occur. Situational Crime Prevention (SCP) represents a shift in criminological thinking from offender-focused explanations of crime toward a
Space & Surveillance theories examine how crime is shaped by the physical and social environments in which it occurs. Rather than locating the causes of crime solely in individual pathology or motivation, these theories analyze how spatial organization, social structures, and surveillance practices influence opportunities for crime and the distribution of criminal events in specific
Classical & Rational Choice Classical and rational choice theories share a fundamental assumption: crime results from free and rational choices made by autonomous individuals. Unlike etiological theories that emphasize deterministic causes such as biological predispositions or socialization processes, classical and rational theories maintain that all people have the capacity to weigh costs and benefits and
Routine Activity Theory explains crime as a situational event that emerges when three elements converge in time and space: a motivated offender, a suitable target, and the absence of a capable guardian. Key Points Routine Activity Approach (RAT) Main Proponents: Lawrence E. Cohen, Marcus Felson, Ronald V. Clarke First Published: 1979 (Cohen & Felson) Country
Deterrence theories conceptualize crime as the result of rational decision-making, where the anticipated costs of punishment are weighed against the potential benefits of offending. Punishment is understood not merely as retribution but as a calculated instrument to prevent crime by shaping individual choice. Key Points Deterrence theories Main Proponents: Cesare Beccaria, Jeremy Bentham, Franz von