The Routine Activities Theory states that crime occurs because specific conditions all come together at the same time (Karmen, 2003). There needs to be an offender who is motivated and a target that is considered to be suitable by that offender. The only other thing needed is an absence of guardians (Karmen, 2003). That last requirement actually occurs quite often, because there are very few places where there is real security. There are many, many private spaces, such as the insides of homes or parks or other areas where there are very few people around to help a crime victim. Because of that, the Routine Activities Theory basically shows that there are people everywhere who will commit a crime if they can get away with it, and there are always people who are available to be victimized simply by virtue of existing in a place where there is no protection. The Threefold Model indicates that conditions which are supportive of crime fall into three categories: predisposing factors, attracting factors, and precipitating factors (Karmen, 2003). The predisposing factors are demographic characteristics that the victims all have in common, such as their age, their gender, their marital status, or where they live. If they live in a poor neighborhood, do not have much money, and are in areas that are high in crime (or involved in activities that are related to crime) they will be more likely to be victims (Karmen, 2003). In short, they are predisposed to being victims of crime because they have either put themselves into harm's way with their actions or they fit the criteria for which the criminal was looking. Precipitating factors involve space and time, and are mostly related to...

The attracting factors are options, lifestyle, and choices that people make on a daily or otherwise predictable basis, as these can make someone more likely to attract the criminal element (Karmen, 2003).
The Situated Transaction Model is generally found in sociology textbooks that address deviance. It puts forth the idea that there is an interpersonal relationship between crime and the victimization of a particular individual (Karmen, 2003). It is, to some extent, a contest between the character of the two people involved. One person may insult the other, and the insulted person will question that. The insulter will then retaliate, the insultee will react, and the issue will escalate from that point. If there is a weapon available, it may be used at that time (Karmen, 2003). The presence of onlookers can also affect the situation, because they will often encourage one person or the other to continue the escalation until there is a complete and total fight between the two individuals (Sebba, 1996). Someone, at that point, could be seriously hurt or killed from what started out as something from which one or both people could have simply walked away. While crime will always be a part of society, studying it helps to reduce it as much as possible.

Bibliography

Karmen, A. Crime victims: An introduction to victimology. New York, NY: Wadsworth Publishing. 2003. Print.

Sebba, L. 1996. Third parties, victims and the criminal justice system. Columbus, OH: Ohio State University Press. 1996. Print.

Van Ness, D.W. Crime…