ABSTRACT
This chapter suggests that a subset of criminologists dealing with one set of problems is instituting a first paradigm for that limited purpose – even though larger criminology remains pre-paradigmatic. Some criminological subfields or allied fields avoid the problems. In the field of environmental criminology, a contrasting research tradition is developing. For a very long time criminology has studied criminals and compared them to non-criminals. Its focus has been to apply social, psychological, or neighborhood variables to predict criminality of individuals or groups of individuals. The common thread among geographic theories is their emphasis on crime events, exposure to risk, modus operandi of offenders, and the specific time and location in which offenses tend to occur. The commonality of crime event theories tells people that crime event analysis is no longer pre-paradigmatic. The crime opportunity approach is a convergence of many general approaches.
