ABSTRACT
Criminology is a fragmented discipline and its key theoretical and empirical insights are poorly integrated. Situational Action Theory (SAT) was developed to overcome key shortcomings identified in prominent criminological theories. A key problem with criminological theorizing and research is that it is fragmented. One need only consult any criminological textbook to be convinced of the discipline's theoretical fragmentation. SAT maintains that acts of crime are best explained as moral actions, that is actions guided by moral rules. A moral rule is a rule of conduct that states what is the right or wrong thing to do in a particular circumstance. SAT proposes that human actions, such as acts of crime, are an outcome of a perception–choice process initiated and guided by the causal interaction of (crime) propensity and (criminogenic) exposure. The key situational factors influencing the perception–choice process in the situational model of SAT are motivation, the moral filter, and controls.
