Tsotsi takes us on an incredible emotional journey where we witness a world filled with cruelty, violence and grave poverty. In this paper, the use of routine activities theory and general strain theory help in explaining the level of random violence. We may just look at a person or a group of individuals and think that they are sociopaths. Many times we cannot fathom why some people commit crimes, whilst others even under the same circumstances, do not. The need for getting to the underlying root as to why people commit a crime is particularly significant, for regardless of the fact that crime is a normal social phenomenon, it is essential to understand criminals, therefore, helping to reduce the level of criminality in society. Routine activities theory and general strain theory both do their utmost best in bringing to light an understanding of the world of crime. However, I believe that the general strain theory brings across a better approach when it comes to the comprehension, explanation and prevention of crime.
The premise, on which routine activity theory is based, states most crimes as being petty larceny and unreported to the police. Crime is not spectacular or dramatic. It is simply everyday routine, as it happens all the time. This theory is responsible for the credence that if an individual commits a crime most likely it is because the opportunity was present. For example if an individual sees a wallet with money in it, he will steal it. Routine activities theory portrays an individual as having uncontrollable urges which leads to criminal acts committed. It goes to show that if an individual is unable to comprehend the difference between right and wrong without proper supervision, he/she is most likely to turn out to be a criminal. According to Siegel et al (2008) "Individuals will commit crimes when they believe their actions will go undetected by guardians such as police, security guards, neighbours, teachers, or homeowners.