ABSTRACT
This chapter presents an overview of how victims and offenders converge in time and space. The chapter will highlight how the behavior of both victims and offenders is shaped and conditioned by social context—both within the immediate situation that the crime/victimization event is taking place within, and also the broader social context that sets the stage for those very situations. Routine activity and risky lifestyles perspectives are revisited, with special attention paid to structural context (e.g., economic deprivation and structural disadvantage) and the cultural reactions to it. It ends with a discussion of gaps and challenges as we move ahead, as well as a listing of key readings and discussion questions.
