The Crime Scripting and Analysis Framework is an idealised chronological representation of how high quality scripts scripts are generated and used.

Results

After compiling/collecting data, the analyst extracts/generates relevant information about the crime event. They then use it elaborate one or more crime script. Once created, the script(s) can be shared and analysed. The results can then be used to, for instance, inform the design of an intervention (e.g., the application result). Ultimately, the intervention will be implemented in the field, leading to a reduction in crime (outcome).

data >> information >> script >> application result>> project outcome

Methods

Different methods can be selected to generate the data, extract the information and produce the script. For example, Stickle et al. (2019) compiled 67 YouTube videos of offenders stealing parcels left unattended in front of people’s doors. They created a code book and extracted the sought information through Video Data Analysis (VDA) and verified the results by measuring the inter-coder reliability score.

There are no standard crime scripting and analysis methods.

Requirements

To decide what CSA methods you will use, you should know what you expect from your script. This is why you should start by developing a comprehensive set of requirements. A requirement can be about a task (e.g., “data collection should not take longer than 2 weeks“) or about the expected results (e.g., “the data should enable analysts to understand how the offender selected his victim“).

• Without the script requirements, it would be impossible to know what information is needed in script and therefore what data you should collect.

Conclusion

The CSA framework emphasizes the value of having clear requirements to inform the development and verification of crime scripts. It shows that the elicitation of requirements must start from the top (project requirements) and ends at the bottom (data requirements), whereas the work itself must start from the bottom (collect data) and ends at the top (deliver the project outcome). After each task, verification must be conducted (against the requirements) to ensure that the next task is performed using high quality information.

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Borrion, H., & Dehghanniri, H. (2023). Topic 10.2 Crime Scripting. Understanding Crime and Place: A Methods Handbook, 298.