Burglary
Chapter 5
Non-violent Economic Crimes
Definitions – wide variety of criminal activity, little in common
• Common attributes:
Do not typically involve aggression, but do involve
dehumanization of victims; avoid direct confrontation
Economic crimes: acquisition of money & material goods
or illegal destruction of property for material gain
Tremendous range & scope of offences
Focus: burglary/B&E; theft including shoplifting & MV
theft; fraud & identity theft; white collar & occupational
crime
Prevalence: property crimes = 47% of all CC offences in
2007
Property Crimes
Offence
Number of Offences
(2007)
Percentage of Property
Offences
Breaking & Entering
230,920
21.09
MV Theft
146,142
13.34
Theft over
17,369
1.58
Theft under
579,211
52.91
Possession of stolen goods
32,775
2.09
Fraud
88,286
8.06
1,094,703
99.97
Total property offences 2007
Robbery (violence)
29,600
Forcible confinement/kidnap
4,505
Arson
13,202
Counterfeiting currency
55,517
Prostitution
4,724
Property Crime
• Common crime
• Less dramatic & often less interesting
• Far more important than violent
crime in the lives of most of us (violation)
• Lack of physical aggression or violence in the
perpetration of the act itself
– Violence may be a by-product
Property Crimes
• Primarily carried out for purpose of improving
one’s economic status
• Burglary (B & E in Canada)
 unlawful entry, with or without force, intent to
commit crime
(Different from robbery)
Characteristics of Burglary
Residential property
Close to 60% typically steal portable, expensive,
compact items
When?
Daytime (residential) Night & weekends (commercial)
Summer months
Who?
Primarily young males (lazy)
• Most offenders will NOT be caught; low-risk is
strong motivator BUT.....
http://youtube.com/watch?v=c3aYZQJZ1SQ
Target Selection
Situational cues
 “close to home”
Greatest gain for least effort
 Occupancy cues (day versus night)
Visual cues
 Wealth cues
 Layout cues
 Security cues (house & community)
Cognitive Processes
• Most burglaries planned though appear
opportunistic
Cognitive scripts
Mental images and plans of how one will act and react
in certain situations
More you rehearse a script, more habitual it becomes
• Solo versus partner: over ½ work with
accomplice
• Use of alcohol other substances: varying
findings
What Happens to the “Stuff”?
• Fence, pawnshop, acquaintance, Internet,
personal use, trade
Motives
•
•
•
•
•
Mainly financial gain (supplement income)
Alcohol or drugs (addiction or courage?)
Opportunity
Peer influence (approval?)
Adaptive behaviour
– Instrumental and strong reinforcement
– Low risks & high rewards
• May reflect need for fun and excitement
Classifying Offenders
• Not a homogeneous group
Male, unemployed, socially deprived
Minimize, neutralize, deny, and justify their
actions to themselves and others
More prolific
Impact of Burglary
• “intimate strangers”
• Burglar may intend to produce response
– Stress and fear: distress levels of victims high
• A sense of trust being violated
– Reduce by target hardening: occupancy,
neighbours, burglar alarms, dogs, deadbolts,
locking windows & doors
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyrpPguSKDE
• So why don’t people always report it?
Are We More Ambivalent/Tolerant of Property
Crimes?
• Require different psychological explanations:
– More emphasis on reinforcements, expectations,
justifications, & motivations
• Relative deprivation often cited
– Disparity between have & want to have/likely to achieve
• Cognitive motivators must be considered:
– Self-reinforcements & self-justifications including tendency of
offenders to minimize, distort or deny misconduct (especially
when no direct contact between offender & victim)
The Costs?
• A very large majority of the general
population is victimized in a variety of ways by
such crime
• If not victimized directly, then the prices of
retail goods are affected by shoplifting,
cybercrime, and employee theft
• Insurance rates are influenced by crimes like
auto theft and burglary
What About?
• Motor vehicle theft?
• Shoplifting?
• White collar & occupational crime?