Sacco, Vincent F., and Leslie W. Kennedy: The Criminal Event Perspective

Rob Tillyer

The criminal event perspective (CEP) is not a traditional theory of why people commit crime; instead it offers a way of identifying and organizing information to understand criminal activity. In other words, it is not a theory of criminality but a road map to understanding crime. The CEP is an explanation of crime that is firmly rooted in the philosophy of environmental criminology, and shares similarities with routine activity theory. Building from this foundation, the CEP directs focus to the factors necessary for commission of a crime. Introduced by Vincent F. Sacco and Leslie W. Kennedy in 1996, the criminal event perspective is defined by three characteristics. First, the CEP focuses on studying crime, not criminality, which is consistent with the philosophy of environmental criminology. Second, the CEP identifies and encourages the exploration of multiple factors that contribute to the occurrence of crime. In other words, understanding crime requires exploration ...

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