When scripts and guardianship unite: A script model to facilitate intervention of capable guardians in public settings

Abstract

A number of empirical studies in criminology have been conducted to highlight the benefits of offender scripting for situational prevention purposes. However, surprisingly, scripts have never been adopted to examine the decision making and behavioral processes of agents directly involved in crime control and crime prevention. In this article, we complete a theoretical exercise. Rather than using scripts to analyze crime events from the perspective of offenders, we use scripts to examine crime events from the perspective of guardians against crime. Specifically, this article introduces script analysis as an approach to design a model which has the potential to facilitate intervention of guardians against crime in public settings. An intervention script consisting of 12 stages is identified. We then show the promising utility of this script as a framework to generate potential situational prevention measures.