TY - JOUR
T1 - Situational opportunity theories of crime
AU - Wilcox, Pamela
AU - Cullen, Francis T.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2018 by Annual Reviews. All rights reserved.
PY - 2018
Y1 - 2018
N2 - Historically speaking, criminological theory tends to pay great attention to identifying the various sources of criminal motivation while downplaying the opportunity to carry out crime in particular situations. However, perspectives that address situational opportunity have gained tremendous traction in the field over the past several decades to the point that there is now a substantial body of theory and research on the issue. This article reviews such theory and research within the context of four overlapping yet distinct lines of inquiry. First, we review scholarship that uses situational opportunity to understand individual victimization. Second, we discuss theory and research that link situational opportunity and high-crime places. Third, we explore scholarship that embraces a multicontextual opportunity perspective to understand crime and victimization events within neighborhood contexts. Fourth, we examine work that integrates situational opportunity into explanations of offending.
AB - Historically speaking, criminological theory tends to pay great attention to identifying the various sources of criminal motivation while downplaying the opportunity to carry out crime in particular situations. However, perspectives that address situational opportunity have gained tremendous traction in the field over the past several decades to the point that there is now a substantial body of theory and research on the issue. This article reviews such theory and research within the context of four overlapping yet distinct lines of inquiry. First, we review scholarship that uses situational opportunity to understand individual victimization. Second, we discuss theory and research that link situational opportunity and high-crime places. Third, we explore scholarship that embraces a multicontextual opportunity perspective to understand crime and victimization events within neighborhood contexts. Fourth, we examine work that integrates situational opportunity into explanations of offending.
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U2 - 10.1146/annurev-criminol-032317-092421
DO - 10.1146/annurev-criminol-032317-092421
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:85049609299
SN - 2572-4568
VL - 1
SP - 123
EP - 148
JO - Annual Review of Criminology
JF - Annual Review of Criminology
ER -