Social TheorIes
Routine Activities Theory:
Broken Window Theory:
Libertarian Perspective:
- Offenders freely choose their behavior, motivated by avoidance of pain and pursuit of pleasure.
- The offender seeks to produce advantage, pleasure and happiness within themselves regardless of the harm done to the victim.
- Crime can be easy, rewarding and a thrill.
- Most deviant behavior is stopped by fear of punishment, however after the decision-making process, people may still decide to commit a crime.
- The theory requires a suitable victim, a dedicated offender and the lack of a capable guardian.
- The suitable victim is influenced by the offender’s perception of the target.
- The more accessible the victim and weak they are perceived as, the more likely the crime will occur.
- The highest frequency of victimization occurs in young, unmarried males whom spend their nights out late, away from home.
- By being out late, these youth are in the open for offenders and often partake in illegal behavior themselves, placing them in situations and areas more prone for a crime to occur.
- It is their routine activities that make them the target; by constantly being out late and making themselves vulnerable, they are easily preyed upon.
- The presence of guardians deters individuals.
- These guardians can include people or mechanical devices such as security cameras.
Broken Window Theory:
- Both community-based policing and restorative justice can be traced to this theory.
- It is the idea that by repairing and improving an area, the community surrounding it will be more likely to defend and respect the area they live within.
- When an area is rundown, people are less likely to care if someone breaks in, commits a theft or defaces/vandalizes property.
- However, cleanup efforts and devotion to repairing and rebuilding a community encourages residents to respect and be more likely to assist police by reporting crime.
- Visible involvement brings visible results. If people appear to care, then potential criminals will assume they do care and be less prone to commit the crime.
Libertarian Perspective:
- Libertarianism: Individuals have a right to freedom dependent on morality and mutual respect.
- Victims and offenders therefore must find a mutual morality and respect before the restorative process can complete.
- The offender must accomplish repairing the damages done to the victim and the victim must feel the offender has made amends.
- Seeking the greatest good for the greatest number of people.
- Goal of the offender in a restorative justice case.
- Objective of both the victim and offender to establish what must be done to achieve the utilitarian climax.
- The idea that human beings are rational creatures that determine a course of action based on the principles of pleasure vs. pain. If the pleasure they receive from an activity is greater than the pain they'll receive if they are caught, the individual is likely to commit that action.
- (Idea of obtaining pleasure while avoiding pain).
Theoretical Approaches
Youth-Engagement Approach
-(United Way, 2008)
- In Restorative Justice, juvenile offenders are actively involved and integrated into the restitution process
- Offenders given opportunity to explain mitigating factors and underlying causes to why they committed the crime
- Youth are proactively engaged in developing a plan of resolution
- Restorative Justice interventions assess what skills and assets the offender possesses that can be utilized and highlighted in the restitution plan
- With positive social relations, the offender, victim, and community can work together to repair the harm that was caused by the crime
- A main goal of restorative justice it to prevent future harm to the offender, victim, and community by reducing the likelihood of crime re-occuring
- Offender's specific risk factors are evaluated, with plans created and implemented to counter these potential threats
-(United Way, 2008)