Boost Theory
Definition
The explanation that repeat victimisation arises because the original offender returns, having gained operational knowledge of the target, its routines, and its vulnerabilities during the first offence.
- Field
- Victimology, repeat victimisation research
- Core claim
- Same offender returns using knowledge gained the first time
- Contrasted with
- Flag theory (a stable target trait attracts different offenders)
- Practical implication
- Supports rapid protective response after a first offence
Common questions
How does boost theory differ from flag theory in explaining repeat victimisation?+
Boost theory attributes repeat victimisation to the original offender exploiting knowledge gained during the first crime, so the same person is likely to return. Flag theory instead attributes it to a stable characteristic of the target, such as poor security or location, that attracts different offenders independently of any prior offence.
What does boost theory suggest about the timing of repeat offences?+
Because it rests on an offender's fresh, time-limited knowledge of the target, boost theory predicts repeat victimisation risk is highest in the days and weeks immediately after the first offence and declines as that knowledge becomes stale, a pattern several victimisation studies have found.
Related terms
- Flag Theory
- The explanation that repeat victimisation arises because a target has stable characteristics, such as poor natural surveillance or weak security, that make...
- Hot Spot
- A small geographic area, sometimes as small as a single address or street segment, where crime concentrates at a rate substantially above...
- Lifestyle-Routine Activity Theory
- A framework that links individual victimisation risk to the daily routines and lifestyle choices that bring potential victims into proximity with motivated...
- Repeat Victimisation
- The empirical pattern in which a small proportion of people or locations experience a disproportionate share of violent incidents. Domestic violence shows...
- Series Victimisation
- A pattern in which a victim experiences multiple similar incidents so frequently that they cannot recall each one individually. Domestic abuse is...