Routine activity theorists such as Cohen and Felson (1979) argue that there are three necessary elements for the commission of most crimes:
• suitable targets (things worth stealing, attacking, etc.);
• a motivated offender (understood through rational choice theory);
• the absence of a 'capable guardian' (someone or something that might ordinarily deter the crime)

Question

Routine activity theorists such as Cohen and Felson (1979) argue that there are three necessary elements for the commission of most crimes: 
• suitable targets (things worth stealing, attacking, etc.);
• a motivated offender (understood through rational choice theory);
• the absence of a 'capable guardian' (someone or something that might ordinarily deter the crime)

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This is the core argument of routine activity theory, as formulated by Cohen and Felson in their seminal 1979 article "Social Change and Crime Rate Trends: A Routine Activity Approach."

Routine Activity Theorists Such as Cohen and Felson (1979) Argue