Understanding My Experience: Sexual Assault Through The Lens of Routine Activities and Social Disorganization Theories
- Isaac Ayala
- Nov 15, 2024
- 11 min read
Updated: Nov 18, 2024
“Just wait til I put my shotgun in your mouth!” That was the last thing I remembered before mentally checking out of this scary situation. I thought to myself, “This is it, this is how I die. I’m going to die at the hands of this man and become, yet another missing person’s case”. As the shotgun lay in my mouth with my jaw shaking and tears streaming down my face the trigger was pulled and BAM! Nothing. The weapon wasn’t even loaded, it was all a psychological form of torture. After being held captive for what felt like hours, I was let go as my perpetrator laughed at me claiming it was all a little “joke”.
Let me take you back. It was nearly a year ago towards the end of the fall semester. I was single at the time and like many gay men I used an application known as “Grindr”. I used this application to meet other singles in my area, mostly to make new friends, get more involvement in my community, and occasionally hook up. When I met this man online, I thought nothing different. I saw a good-looking man who wanted to have a quick “no strings attached” experience and I hopped on board. I went over to his place of residence, like any routine hook up and as soon as we started I noticed something was very wrong. I found myself not being able to “perform” to his standards and as a result, I was being met with violent threats. Threats such as “Move your legs up, or I’m going to beat the s--- out of you.” I knew that this wasn’t the type of foreplay I would ever consent to and I spoke up and said, “This isn’t going to work out, I should get going”. He did not let me leave. Instead, I was detained in his tiny little apartment. For the next three hours, I would be threatened, hit, and psychologically tortured. I am choosing to leave some of the more graphic details out as one can imagine how painful it can be for any victim to recount an experience such as mine. What felt like a routine experience turned quickly into a horror movie. If I’m being honest… I am not quite sure why I was let go or why I am alive and quite frankly, I don’t like to question it.
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I never reported my experience. I told my friends and family what had occurred and I was met with mixed reactions. Some of my loved ones told me this was “my fault” while others pressured me to go to the police to the point where I had to block these loved one’s numbers for the sake of just wanting to be left alone. It’s for these complicated reasons that many victims choose not to report their sexual assault. According to Criminology 8th edition by Larry J Siegle only 16% of rapes were reported to law enforcement authorities (Siegle, 2022). That shockingly low statistic rate demonstrates how painful sexual assault is and how our society influences us to report these crimes. Many of these crimes go undocumented because of the shame and fear so many victims have.
In the sociological world, theoretical framework can help explain why certain social phenomena occur and how we can address these problems. This blog post will introduce two theoretical perspectives, routine activities theory and social disorganization theory. These theories can help us understand why my assault happened to me, how it can happen to others, why society takes on victim blaming, and what we can do to create safe spaces to talk about these experiences.
Routine Activities Theory
From a criminological standpoint, Routine Activities Theory is the idea that the activities an individual is engaging in can make them a more susceptible victim to a crime. According to research published by the Journal of Interpersonal Violence, Routine Activities theory demonstrates how environments that are suitable for crime are made when a motivated offender and a target essentially cross paths without a capable guardian being present (Konkel et. al, 2021). This theoretical framework also takes into account how risky lifestyle choices can increase the likelihood of someone becoming the victim of a crime (Konkel, et. al, 2021). From the Rotuine Actitivies perspective, I engaged in risky activities by meeting a stranger online to engage in intimate relations without truly getting to know this individual. My impulsive choice to go over to this man’s place without communicating my expectations or “feeling out” his character allowed me to place myself in an incredibly vulnerable position. Finally, to add another complicated layer to my routine activities, I had a drug relapse and knew that this individual consumed my drug of choice. My choice to fall back again into this risky lifestyle choice, all while making other risky decisions as mentioned before created the perfect storm for what would be a life-altering phenomenon for me.
Furthermore, Routine Activities Theory demonstrates how individual behavior can intersect with the right social factors to increase the likelihood of victimization. Other risky lifestyle choices that can increase the odds of sexual assault include drug and alcohol consumption (Tewksbury et. al, 2001). A 2001 study sampled 1,200 male college students in the southern United States and found that frequent drug consumption, especially in party environments increased the likelihood of male sexual assault by 2% (Tewksbury et. al, 2001). My willingness to seek out an illicit substance with a total stranger made my chances of something nefarious occurring skyrocket. My decision-making skills put me in an environment where a motivated offender would seek their next victim. The lack of a capable guardian whether it be a trusted friend or bystander in a public setting, only made all of these odds stacked up against me (Konkel, et. al 2021). Looking back, Routine Actitvities theory helps me understand how all of these social factors intersect with one another, which only emphasizes the importance of situational awareness and making smart lifestyle choices.
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An interesting study conducted for the graduate program of the University of Cincinnati linked sexual assault and routine activities theory to individuals suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (Snyder, 2011). I felt I should mention the link between this mental disorder and this theoretical perspective because I too suffer from ADHD and some of the traits of this disorder increase the likelihood of my engaging in risky decision-making behavior such as drug consumption and promiscuity. According to this study, college students with ADHD are 2.3 times more likely to be victims of sexual assault compared to students who do not have this disorder (Snyder, 2011). This is significant because although ADHD is a mental trait, it can influence routine activities that can make the individual more likely to experience crime. This occurs because the challenges faced by students with ADHD increase the chances of impulsivity and inattentiveness which all have the odds of producing environments where a victim may run into a motivated offender (Snyder, 2011). As mentioned before I suffer from ADHD and to apply my disorder to the routine activities theory, my propensity for impulsive decision-making and desire for pleasure-rewarding behaviors all came together to create the chances where I would have a drug relapse and meet a motivated offender. Now I am not sure if this crime would have occurred if I did not have this disorder, but I do know that I may not have put myself into so many dangerous situations if I did not have this constant desire to constantly fill the reward center of my brain.
Routine Activities Theory demonstrates how there are a multitude of complicated social factors that can increase the likelihood of someone becoming the victim of a crime. This theoretical framework shows how my actions partly influenced by my ADHD, paired with risky lifestyle choices such as meeting strangers and consuming illicit substances, painted a very clear target on my back. By not considering my situational awareness and placing capable guardians in my environment, it was no wonder why this crime happened to me. For these reasons, I did not report my crime because I knew all of the complicated factors that went into feeling like this was all my fault. The shame I felt for abandoning my sobriety for one day and for allowing myself to step into such a dangerous environment without even considering the consequences also allowed me to understand why many people would not want to report this. Not every sexual assault victim meets their perpetrator online and not every sexual assault victim consumes drugs. However, my story is just one way how just the activities and lifestyle choices an individual engages in can make them feel ashamed of themselves. As a society, it is important to recognize the situational factors that can make someone the victim of a crime, but we also cannot turn that around and blame the victim. Safe spaces must be created so that individuals can reflect on their past and recognize that what happened to them was not their fault and that the activities they enwrapped themselves in only stacked the odds against them. Instead of victim blaming we must go after the perpetrators themselves and ensure that the motivated offender does not do this to anybody again.
Social Disorganization Theory
Criminology 8th edition by Larry J Siegle defines the Social Disorganization theory as “ a branch of social structure theory that focuses on the breakdown of institutions such as the family, school, and employment in low-income neighborhoods (Siegle, 2022). This theoretical framework suggests that crime occurs in neighborhoods where a lack of social bonds and adequate resources creates spaces where violent crimes are concentrated in impoverished areas. In my case, I was victimized in a part of Orange County known for rampant drug abuse, petty theft, and other violent crimes. A study for The Journal of Crime and Criminal Behavior shows that the social disorganization index shows a 13.9% increase in sexual assault rates (Trinh et. al, 2022). This is significant because neighborhoods with higher rates of poverty and unemployment have an increased vulnerability to sexual assault. These conditions deteriorate the social bonds normally found in high-functioning communities and create a space where motivated offenders can commit their crimes without fear of criminal intervention. In these areas, the lack of capable guardians further exacerbates the rates of victimization. My presence in this crime-ridden area compounded by the risks of the community’s socially disorganized structure increased my likelihood of ending up with a motivated offender. Without adequate resources to help these suffering communities, the dangerous environment becomes a “catalyst” for sexual assault crimes. This shows how the disorganization of community structures helped contribute to my victimization.
The study previously mentioned for The Journal of Interpersonal Violence and Criminal Behavior also mentions how social disorganization can be linked to increased rates of sexual assault. Specifically, the study demonstrates how high-density neighborhoods and drug dens have a positive relationship with sexual assault risks (Konkel et. al, 2021). This suggests that environments characterized by impoverished and overcrowded living conditions and illegal activities, such as drug consumption perpetuate dangerous areas where motivated offenders can use the lack of social control to their advantage and find their next victim. In my case, I was in an area where one could tell there were no social bonds present in this community. This area didn’t feel like a community at all, it presented itself as the shell of a community. Many of the housing units were vandalized, transients walked up and down the street, and the landscaping and housing structures were unkempt. This area looked like a place I would be afraid to walk around at night alone. From the social disorganization perspective, the “community” I found myself in was already far gone, this crime-ridden neighborhood filled with drug addicts and vandals created an area where I was certainly going to be victimized. As the study states, “Disadvantaged neighborhoods… may have an attenuated attachment to conventional value systems… inviting offenders to these neighborhoods as they may view these areas as less risky in terms of intervention for their offenses” (Konkel et. al, 2021). Meaning that the area I was victimized in, surrounded by signs of neglect and disparagement, made it very clear that something was going to happen to me as soon as I arrived.
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A final study worth mentioning was conducted in 2018 for The Journal of Criminal Justice. The researchers further explored the social disorganization theory by studying crime reports from a neighborhood in Canada. A significant finding was that neighborhoods with concentrated areas of rental units and liquor establishments had an increased likelihood of sexual assault crimes (Hewitt et. al, 2018). In fact, the researchers stated that, the clustering of liquor serving establishments as well as schools within small geographic locations should be cause for concern… these activity nodes create offending opportunities… (Hewitt et. al, 2018). This shows how environmental characteristics such as clustered liquor establishments (stores or bars) both attract offenders and repel capable guardians. The neighborhood I was in was very similar to the neighborhoods found in this study, which only further demonstrates how social disorganization can create a melting pot of different criminal activities. From the social disorganization perspective, the lack of structure in these communities marked by impoverished individuals, neglected infrastructure, and absent social bonds lack the necessary tools to help deter criminal activity. This means that no matter where I stepped in this neighborhood and because nobody cared about the environment around them, I was assaulted and nobody noticed and I could have been killed without anybody noticing.
Social Disorganization provides a crucial lens for seeing how the breakdown of communities and lack of resources can make cases of sexual assault rather inevitable. The studies mentioned discuss how characteristics like poverty, neighborhood neglect, drug use, and even clustered alcohol establishments help exacerbate the conditions necessary for impersonal violent crime. My experience in this crime-infested neighborhood also made me realize that I was not the only person victimized there. It is very clear that the perpetrator I was with had done this before and it is also very clear that the environment he lived in created a culture where he could get away with these behaviors. His lifestyle of drug consumption and violent sexual encounters are only further encouraged by the fact that many of his neighbors are engaging in the same activities. It is incredibly important that our society recognizes how communities play a large role in the reasons crimes are committed and we must collectively come together to address these socially disorganized communities and create areas where people can thrive and not be afraid to become victimized.
Final Thoughts
Recounting my experiences all over again and applying them using sociological theory makes me realize all of the multifacted factors that go into making somebody a "victim" or what I should really be saying ,"survivor". Routine Acitivities Theory helped me gain an understanding for how the decisions we make can greatly influence the trajectory of our lives. My impulsive decision making skills coupled by drug relapse and naitivity made me finally understand that something like this was going to happen to me eventually. Social Disorganization Theory also helped me gain an understanding for how the environment itself plays a role in whether someone will be a victim of a violent crime or not. Together, these theories explain why I walked into the perfect storm that would be one of the most traumatic experiences I've endured in my 25 years of living. In hindsight I realize now why I spent so many months in shame and fear. I felt I asked for all of this based on all of the social factors I mentioned coming together. I still have trouble acknowledging the fact that I was not fully at fault for this and that I was a survivor. I hope that by sharing my story I can provide others with the importance of situational awareness and restructuring of socially disorganized communities. As a society we must continue to expand on preventative measures and create a culture where we stop blaming the victim and instead understand how they got there to begin with.
References
Hewitt, A. N., Beauregard, E., Andresen, M. A., & Brantingham, P. L. (2018). Identifying the nature of risky places for sexual crime: The applicability of crime pattern and social disorganization theories in a Canadian context. Journal of Criminal Justice, 57, 35-46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2018.03.003
Konkel, R. H., Hafemeister, A. J., & Daigle, L. E. (2021). The Effects of Risky Places, Motivated Offenders, and Social Disorganization on Sexual Victimization: A Microgeographic- and Neighborhood-Level Examination. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 36(17-18), 8409-8434. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260519849693
Siegel, L. J. (2022). Criminology (8th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Snyder, J. A. (2011). College students with ADHD: Extending the Lifestyles/Routine activities framework to predict sexual victimization and physical assault (Order No. 3475159). Available from Sociological Abstracts. (900303956). Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/college-students-with-adhd-extending-lifestyles/docview/900303956/se-2
Tewksbury, R., & Mustaine, E. E. (2001). Lifestyle factors associated with the sexual assault of men: A routine activity theory analysis. Journal of Men's Studies, 9(2), 153. doi:https://doi.org/10.3149/jms.0902.153
Trinh, M. T. T., Barranco, R. E., & Harris, C. T. (2022). Explaining macro-level rape with routine activities theory: A multitheoretical approach using backlash hypothesis, social disorganization theory, and evolutionary psychology. Journal of Crime and Criminal Behavior, 2(1), 45–66. https://doi.org/10.47509/JCCB.2022.v02i01.03
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