Geographic Profiling and the Relationship between Environmental Criminology Theories Essay Example

Environmental criminology incorporates three theories that contribute to geographic profiling. These theories include the rational choice perspective, which elucidates criminals' decision-making process; the routine activity theory, which analyzes how societal changes impact crime opportunities; and the crime pattern theory, which focuses on how criminals identify and exploit chances to commit crimes during different times of the day.

According to investigators, criminals select their crime locations based on available opportunities. They then continue to exploit these opportunities in the same geographic area over time. This approach, known as geographic profiling, is considered an innovative technique in environmental criminology and is anticipated to become a standard investigative tool for tracking serial criminals.