NCJ Number
32468
Date Published
1973
Length
500 pages
Annotation
THIS STUDY ANALYZED THE RATES AND PATTERNS OF STRANGER TO STRANGER CRIME COMMITTED ON RESIDENTIAL PREMISES IN URBAN AND SUBURBAN AREAS, AND THEIR CORRELATION TO KEY VARIABLES.
Abstract
THIS WAS ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH EXAMINATION OF POLICE AND OTHER CRIMINAL JUSTICE RECORDS, A LITERATURE SEARCH, A HOUSEHOLD SURVEY THAT INTERVIEWED NEARLY 100 PERSONS INCLUDING VICTIMS AND NON-VICTIMS OF RESIDENTIAL CRIME, A FIELD OBSERVATION STUDY OF 39 SEPARATE AREAS OF THE BOSTON STANDARD METROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREA, AND INTERVIEWS WITH 100 OFFENDERS. THE STUDY DETERMINED THAT THE CONCEPT OF RESIDENTIAL CRIME IS DIFFUSE AND THAT THERE IS A CONSIDERABLE VARIANCE IN THE FREQUENCY, DISTRIBUTION, AND CONSEQUENCES OF SPECIFIC OFFENSES. THE MOST COMMON OF THE SERIOUS RESIDENTIAL OFFENSES WAS BURGLARY, FOLLOWED BY ROBBERY. AFFLUENCE, VULNERABILITY, AND LOCATION WERE MOST CLOSELY ASSOCIATED WITH THE CRIME RATE. IN GENERAL, CRIME RATES WERE INVERSELY PROPORTIONAL TO DISTANCE FROM THE CENTER OF THE METROPOLITAN AREA, WITH LARGE HOUSING PROJECTS BEING VIRTUALLY THE ONLY ONES WITH A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF RESIDENTIAL ROBBERY. THE GENERAL CONCLUSION OF THE STUDY WAS THAT IN ORDER TO REDUCE THE RATE OF RESIDENTIAL CRIME IT IS NECESSARY TO UNDERTAKE PROGRAMS DIRECTED AT OFFENDER MOTIVATION AND CRIME OPPORTUNITY. THE APPENDIX CONTAINS A 23-PAGE BIBLIOGRAPHY, TABULAR DATA FROM THE OFFENDER INTERVIEWS AND THE HOUSEHOLD SURVEY, AND A QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF DATA ON CRIME PATTERN VARIABLES. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)