Crime Script Analysis
Definition
A method developed by Derek Cornish that maps the sequential steps an offender must complete to commit a particular crime type, from preparation through execution and aftermath. Each step is a potential intervention point for situational prevention.
- Developed by
- Derek Cornish
- Structure
- Sequential steps from preparation to aftermath
- Application
- Situational crime prevention
- Use
- Each step is a potential intervention point
Common questions
How does crime script analysis differ from a general offender profile?+
A profile describes characteristics of the offender, while a crime script maps the procedural sequence of actions required to commit the offence itself, regardless of who commits it, which is what makes it useful for designing prevention measures.
How do practitioners use a completed crime script to prevent crime?+
They examine each stage of the script for a point where a barrier, increased effort, or increased risk of detection could be introduced, since disrupting any required step can prevent the crime from being completed as planned.
Related terms
- 25 Techniques
- Ronald Clarke's classification of situational crime prevention methods into 25 specific techniques organised under five mechanisms: increasing effort, increasing risk, reducing rewards,...
- CPTED
- Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design. An applied design discipline using natural surveillance (sightlines, lighting), territorial reinforcement (ownership cues), natural access control (barriers,...
- Diffusion of Benefits
- The spread of crime-reduction effects beyond the area or targets directly covered by an intervention. Offenders uncertain about the extent of a...
- Displacement
- The relocation of crime following a prevention intervention. Can take five forms: territorial (to another place), temporal (to another time), target (to...
- Opportunity Structure
- The set of environmental, social, and product conditions that make specific crimes more or less easy to commit. Situational prevention works by...