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In the past, lifestyle exposure/routine activity theory was used to explain different types of crimes, including those involving interpersonal violence (e.g. robbery, assault). Empirical studies testing the utility of the theory produced... more
In the past, lifestyle exposure/routine activity theory was used to explain different types of crimes, including those involving interpersonal violence (e.g. robbery, assault). Empirical studies testing the utility of the theory produced mixed support for the model. The lack of clear de finitions and precise, unambiguous measures of the key theoretical concepts (motivated offender, suitable target and capable guardianship) were among the possible reasons for the observed inconsistent empirical evidence. With the advent of the Internet and the emergence of cybercrimes (e.g. cyberstalking, cyberharassment), attempts have been made to explore the empirical utility of lifestyle-routine activity theory to account for personal victimization as a consequence of cyberabuse. Similar to the terrestrial research, cyberabuse scholarship produced inconsistent empirical support for the model. Some criminologists believed that lifestyle-routine activity theory may not be suitable to account for cy...
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Within the routine activity approach (Cohen & Felson, 1979) guardianship is argued to be a critical component of crime prevention. Guardians are defined as ordinary citizens who carry out supervision, which helps prevent or deter crime.... more
Within the routine activity approach (Cohen & Felson, 1979) guardianship is argued to be a critical component of crime prevention. Guardians are defined as ordinary citizens who carry out supervision, which helps prevent or deter crime. Traditionally, criminological research has used measures that approximate levels of household occupancy to examine the relationship between guardianship and crime. More recently, however, Reynald (2009) developed the Guardianship in Action (GIA) model. The GIA model proposes a valid way to directly observe residents' guardianship behaviour, and understand the spatio-physical and socio-demographic factors that facilitate crime control behaviour by residents. Observations using the GIA model have thus far been applied in urban residential environments in The Hague, Netherlands (Reynald, 2009; Reynald, 2011a) and Boston, Massachusetts (Hollis-Peel, Reynald, & Welsh, 2012; Hollis-Peel & Welsh, 2014). These studies limited observations to weekdays. Co...
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Research Interests: Criminology and Security
Sexual violence and abuse is a serious, global, public health concern. Prevalence rates, however, are unevenly distributed, with concentrations of sexual violence and abuse occurring in some countries, communities, neighbourhoods,... more
Sexual violence and abuse is a serious, global, public health concern. Prevalence rates, however, are unevenly distributed, with concentrations of sexual violence and abuse occurring in some countries, communities, neighbourhoods, organisations and local contexts. Understanding why such concentrations develop is critical to effective prevention and intervention, particularly to ensure key contributing factors are targeted. Regrettably, existing understanding of this phenomenon has been limited, largely by the diverse settings in which concentrations occur, the context-specific nature of existing explanations, and a restricted and disconnected evidence base. Additionally, where explanations have been offered, they are primarily descriptive efforts, focused on what contributes to concentrations of abuse, rather than how this occurs or under what conditions. To address these limitations and build an enhanced understanding of sexual violence and abuse concentrations, this research devel...
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With the advent of the Internet and the emergence of cybercrimes (e.g., cyber stalking, cyber harassment), criminologists have begun to explore the empirical utility of lifestyle exposure and routine activity theories (RATs) to account... more
With the advent of the Internet and the emergence of cybercrimes (e.g., cyber stalking, cyber harassment), criminologists have begun to explore the empirical utility of lifestyle exposure and routine activity theories (RATs) to account for personal victimization as a consequence of cyber abuse. Available cyber abuse studies have produced inconsistent empirical support for both models, which has reignited the debate about whether terrestrial theories, such as RAT, will ever be able to adequately explain cybercrimes due to the spatial and temporal disconnect between the theories and the cyber environment. This article reviews existing cyber abuse scholarship, explores potential reasons for the weak empirical support for routine activity and lifestyle exposure theories in cyberspace, and proposes several directions for future research. We suggest that to further our understanding of cyber abuse processes, scholars need to carefully define and operationalize the key theoretical concepts...
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Guardianship is a core principle of situational crime prevention (Clarke, 1997). Through their presence and supervision, guardians discourage offending by increasing an offender’s risk of detection and/or apprehension and manipulating the... more
Guardianship is a core principle of situational crime prevention (Clarke, 1997). Through their presence and supervision, guardians discourage offending by increasing an offender’s risk of detection and/or apprehension and manipulating the perceived costs and rewards associated with the criminal opportunity. It is in this way that guardianship may be a mechanism for reducing the incidence or severity of sexual offences against women – particularly now that it is understood sexual offenders, much like any other individual, are capable of engaging in cost-benefit analysis as part of their decision making (Beauregard & Leclerc, 2007). Existing research exploring sexual offences against women through the lens of the criminal event points to a potential association between the presence of other persons, besides the offender and victim, and sexual offence avoidance. Less is known about who these guardians are, what they do during the crime event, and the real-life conditions under which gu...
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With the advent of the Internet and the emergence of cybercrimes (e.g., cyber stalking, cyber harassment), criminologists have begun to explore the empirical utility of lifestyle exposure and routine activity theories (RATs) to account... more
With the advent of the Internet and the emergence of cybercrimes (e.g., cyber stalking, cyber harassment), criminologists have begun to explore the empirical utility of lifestyle exposure and routine activity theories (RATs) to account for personal victimization as a consequence of cyber abuse. Available cyber abuse studies have produced inconsistent empirical support for both models, which has reignited the debate about whether terrestrial theories, such as RAT, will ever be able to adequately explain cybercrimes due to the spatial and temporal disconnect between the theories and the cyber environment. This article reviews existing cyber abuse scholarship, explores potential reasons for the weak empirical support for routine activity and lifestyle exposure theories in cyberspace, and proposes several directions for future research. We suggest that to further our understanding of cyber abuse processes, scholars need to carefully define and operationalize the key theoretical concepts...
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The study aims to generate insights from sexual offenders on the influence of internal states and how they perceive risks of apprehension and difficulties in the context of noncompleted sexual offenses, that is when offenders initiated... more
The study aims to generate insights from sexual offenders on the influence of internal states and how they perceive risks of apprehension and difficulties in the context of noncompleted sexual offenses, that is when offenders initiated the offense but were stopped or discouraged either before or during sexual contact. Adult males incarcerated for sexually offending completed a self-report questionnaire. Regression models, including interaction effects, were estimated. Two interaction effects were found providing insights into which and how internal states, such as intoxication to alcohol, may influence perceived difficulties related to crime. Future research should promote the investigation of noncompleted sexual offenses, which could provide a real opportunity to generate new or complementary insights for better understanding and guiding prevention initiatives.
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This study examined the perceived effectiveness of situational crime prevention (SCP) in sexual assault as rated by 140 offenders convicted for sex offenses against women in Australia. Participants were presented with three scenarios and... more
This study examined the perceived effectiveness of situational crime prevention (SCP) in sexual assault as rated by 140 offenders convicted for sex offenses against women in Australia. Participants were presented with three scenarios and asked to rate the perceived effectiveness of SCP techniques relating to guardianship, victim self-protective behavior, and crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED). Results indicate that the effectiveness of SCP methods was perceived to vary across different contexts. For offenses occurring in the private setting of an offender’s home, victim self-protective behavior was seen as most effective, followed by guardianship and CPTED. In public settings, although the perceived effectiveness of victim self-protective behavior remained the same, guardianship and CPTED were rated as significantly more effective. Further variations were identified regarding specific strategies. Findings highlight the nuances of offender decision making in differ...
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Research Interests: Criminology and Security
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This conceptual article focuses on the potential to advance and extend guardianship using new digital crime prevention applications that have been developed as a consequence of technological advancements in communication and social... more
This conceptual article focuses on the potential to advance and extend guardianship using new digital crime prevention applications that have been developed as a consequence of technological advancements in communication and social engagement. The new opportunity structure for informal guardianship through active citizen participation and involvement in crime prevention and control efforts using the Internet and smartphones is discussed to emphasize how this has changed in the digital age. Specifically, the article highlights how the fundamental tenets of guardianship (i.e., what it means to be available, how supervision or monitoring is carried out and ways of intervening) have evolved due to neighborhood watch/community safety mobile applications. Based on what we have learned about guardianship, this article considers the potential for these digital crime prevention applications to extend and support guardianship. It also assesses these applications critically by highlighting som...
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Cyber abuse can be executed directly (e.g. by sending derogatory emails or text messages addressed to the victim) or indirectly (e.g. by posting derogatory, private or false information, documents, images or videos about the victim... more
Cyber abuse can be executed directly (e.g. by sending derogatory emails or text messages addressed to the victim) or indirectly (e.g. by posting derogatory, private or false information, documents, images or videos about the victim online). This exploratory, mixed-method triangulated study examines cyber abuse crime events with the goal of identifying factors associated with the increased risk of personal victimization from both direct and indirect methods of cyber abuse. First, in-depth qualitative interviews with cyber abuse victims ( n = 12) were conducted. The interviews were analysed using thematic analysis to generate hypotheses. These hypotheses were then tested using content analysis of newspaper reports ( n = 110) and victims’ posts on online forums ( n = 91) describing incidents of cyber abuse. Logistic regression using Bayesian Model Averaging analysis revealed that the combination of a prior offender–victim relationship and expressive motivation best predicts the use of ...
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ABSTRACT The coupling of racial and economic stratification has been found to result in a range of adverse outcomes for youth of color, including disproportionate exposure to violence and victimization. Primary explanations of these... more
ABSTRACT The coupling of racial and economic stratification has been found to result in a range of adverse outcomes for youth of color, including disproportionate exposure to violence and victimization. Primary explanations of these patterns, particularly at the micro-level, have focused on the impact of street culture. In this article, we draw from a multiyear ethnography in Cape Town, South Africa, to offer a theoretical elaboration of the place of culture in contributing to victimization risks among urban minority young men. The study is based on data collected from a sample of 26 young men of color who lived on the Cape Flats between 2003 and 2006. Using grounded theory methods, we suggest the import of unequal access to spatial mobility as a multifaceted means by which culture mediates young men's risks for victimization in disadvantaged communities. We find that transitory mobility—conceptualized as youth's temporary access to cultural spaces outside their segregated residential neighborhoods—is an important source of cultural heterogeneity in townships that can intensify the strength of local social identities and outgroup antipathies directed at those whose mobility is perceived as a cultural threat. Transitorily mobile young men's cultural repertoires are a key facet of street efficacy that can either insulate them from risk or heighten their vulnerabilities. Our findings are suggestive of important sources of variation in young men's victimization outcomes in disadvantaged communities, offering insights about factors that shape risks beyond those linked to the victim–offender overlap in high-risk settings.
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Editorial introducing Crime Science journal's first special edition on child sexual abuse.
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Research Interests: Criminology and Security
ABSTRACT The coupling of racial and economic stratification has been found to result in a range of adverse outcomes for youth of color, including disproportionate exposure to violence and victimization. Primary explanations of these... more
ABSTRACT The coupling of racial and economic stratification has been found to result in a range of adverse outcomes for youth of color, including disproportionate exposure to violence and victimization. Primary explanations of these patterns, particularly at the micro-level, have focused on the impact of street culture. In this article, we draw from a multiyear ethnography in Cape Town, South Africa, to offer a theoretical elaboration of the place of culture in contributing to victimization risks among urban minority young men. The study is based on data collected from a sample of 26 young men of color who lived on the Cape Flats between 2003 and 2006. Using grounded theory methods, we suggest the import of unequal access to spatial mobility as a multifaceted means by which culture mediates young men's risks for victimization in disadvantaged communities. We find that transitory mobility—conceptualized as youth's temporary access to cultural spaces outside their segregated residential neighborhoods—is an important source of cultural heterogeneity in townships that can intensify the strength of local social identities and outgroup antipathies directed at those whose mobility is perceived as a cultural threat. Transitorily mobile young men's cultural repertoires are a key facet of street efficacy that can either insulate them from risk or heighten their vulnerabilities. Our findings are suggestive of important sources of variation in young men's victimization outcomes in disadvantaged communities, offering insights about factors that shape risks beyond those linked to the victim–offender overlap in high-risk settings.
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Research Interests: Criminology and Law
ABSTRACT This study presents a new and reliable observational tool for measuring both the potential for guardianship, as well as guardianship in action at residential properties. Tests of our new measurement instrument reveal that... more
ABSTRACT This study presents a new and reliable observational tool for measuring both the potential for guardianship, as well as guardianship in action at residential properties. Tests of our new measurement instrument reveal that guardianship intensity at the property level can be reliably and validly measured through direct observation, and is enhanced by the physical and social environment. The paper reinforces the thesis that residential guardianship intensity is the product of a two-fold action process that involves both the physical potential to carry out supervision of people and places, as well as the acts of monitoring and intervention when necessary. The results of our study confirm that crime levels drop significantly as residential guardianship intensifies.