On Routine Activity Theory being just a "tautologyish" truism

No wonder the world is in such a mess. We seriously need to teach critical thinking skills in our schools and universities

Imagine why millions of people in USA believe Trump's deadly serial lying, why so many in the UK voted the serial liar & lethal incompetent Boris Johnson to into office. When our universities teach RAT as a "theory" when it's just tautological gibberish https://t.co/hga3CR7q9y pic.twitter.com/WmUB8vMYeO

— Dr Mike Sutton (@Criminotweet) February 6, 2021

The Eleventh Principle

Crime Opportunity Theory is wrong: Because it's (a) not about opportunities at all - only truisms (b) it's not a theory (c)   it does not explain causality (d) its just a description of the elements of a successful crime being committed - something that cannot exist in advance of itself happening, which means it cannot be an opportunity (e) that means its an irrefuatable truism, which means its pseudoscience.


The figure below  does not, as its originators claim, represent an opportunity. It's a Ratortunity because the event is over by this stage if the offender  is KNOWN to be more capable than the guardianship. As every dictionary definition will tell you, an opportunity exists before the event - not after it. And yet Crime Opportunity Theory tells us that ratortunity is not only a cause of crime, but the most important cause.

Spoof on Crime Science faith in ratortunity as a cause of crime reveals that many a true word is written in jest: visit the Crime Science blog: click here to check out the all important eleventh principle.