The Novelty of ‘Cybercrime’: An Assessment in Light of Routine Activity Theory

Abstract

Recent discussions of ‘cybercrime’ focus upon the apparent novelty or otherwise of the phenomenon. Some authors claim that such crime is not qualitatively different from ‘terrestrial crime’, and can be analysed and explained using established theories of crime causation. One such approach, oft cited, is the ‘routine activity theory’ developed by Marcus Felson and others. This article explores the extent to which the theory’s concepts and aetiological schema can be transposed to crimes committed in a ‘virtual’ environment. Substantively, the examination concludes that, although some of the theory’s core concepts can indeed be applied to cybercrime, there remain important differences between ‘virtual’ and ‘terrestrial’ worlds that limit the theory’s usefulness. These differences, it is claimed, give qualified support to the suggestion that ‘cybercrime’ does indeed represent the emergence of a new and distinctive form of crime.