Opportunity Theory

In the study of criminology, opportunity theory attempts to explain the basic cause behind criminal actions. According to the National Criminal Justice Reference Service's online thesaurus, opportunity theory states that crimes are committed whenever opportunities arise. These opportunities can vary and often range from being either legitimate or illegitimate.

Felson and Clarke (1998) compiled a list of ten principles that can be derived from the theory. They state that knowledge of these principles can help law enforcement authorities to significantly reduce criminal activity. The first principle states that opportunities can be found to have caused all types of crimes, not just those involving theft of common property. The second principle states that opportunities behind different crimes are highly specific. For example, car theft for the purpose of joyriding provides a significantly different set of opportunities from the theft done for the purpose of obtaining car parts. The third principle states that different opportunities arise for different times and places. The fourth principle is that opportunities are affected by everyday activities. An example is that burglars often visit homes during the day when they know the occupants are often out. The fifth principle is that one crime can provide opportunities for another.

The sixth principle is that some products provide more easy opportunities to be stolen than others; examples would be cell phones and car stereos. The seventh principle is that new opportunities arise from social and technological changes. For example new popular products will be stolen most often when they are first made available. The eighth principle is that authorities can prevent crimes by significantly reducing the opportunities to be found behind them. The ninth principle is that the reduction of opportunities does not completely shift crime out of a locale. Finally the tenth principle is that many outlying locales can benefit from the opportunity reductions of even one neighborhood.

References

Felson, M & Clarke, R.V. (1998). Ten principles of crime opportunity theory. Retrieved March

16, 2005 from crimereduction.gov.uk Website at http://www.crimereduction.gov.uk/learningzone/scpprinciples.htm

National Criminal Justice Reference Services Thesaurus (n.d.) Retrieved March 16, 2005 from NCJRS Website at http://abstractsdb.ncjrs.org/content/Thesaurus/Thesaurus_AssociatedTerms.asp?ID=09946&Value=Opportunity+theory