DIMENSIONS OF BURGLARY - AN EMPIRICAL EXAMINATION OF OFFENSE AND OFFENDER CHARACTERISTICS

• NCJ Number: 41675
• Author(s): C E POPE
• Date Published: 1975
• Length: 356 pages
• Sale Source: UMI Dissertation Services
• Publication Type: Statistics
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THIS STUDY EXAMINED THE CRIME OF BURGLARY AS IT OCCURRED ACROSS SIX SEPARATE POLICE JURISDICTIONS OVER A ONE YEAR PERIOD, INCLUDING THE CORRELATES AND INTERRELATIONSHIPS OF BOTH BURGLARY OFFENSES AND OFFENDERS.

Abstract

OFFENSE INFORMATION ENCOMPASSED SUCH CHARACTERISTICS AS THE TYPE OF STRUCTURE BURGLARIZED, TIME OF DAY, DAY OF WEEK, AMOUNT OF FINANCIAL LOSS, AND SIMILAR FACTORS INCLUDING SUCH TARGET HARDENING FEATURES AS ARTIFICIAL LIGHTING AND ALARM SYSTEMS. CHARACTERISTICS OF APPREHENDED OFFENDERS INCLUDED AGE, RACE, SEX, PREVIOUS CRIMINAL HISTORY, DISTANCE TRAVELED TO COMMIT THE OFFENSE, NUMBER OF CRIME PARTNERS, AND THE LIKE. THE CORRELATES OF BURGLARY WERE DISCOVERED TO BE QUITE SIMILAR TO THOSE FOUND IN OTHER STUDIES WHETHER UTILIZING OFFICIAL DATA OR VICTIM SURVEY TECHNIQUES. THIS STUDY, HOWEVER, WENT BEYOND PREVIOUS RESEARCH ENDEAVORS IN UNDERTAKING AN ANALYSIS OF THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THOSE APPREHENDED FOR BURGLARY OFFENSES. AS WAS THE CASE FOR OFFENSE CHARACTERISTICS, DISTINCT RELATIONSHIPS WERE ALSO EVIDENT HERE. APPLYING VARIOUS MULTIVARIATE ANALYTIC METHODS, IT WAS FOUND THAT OVERALL OFFENDER/OFFENSE PATTERNS DID NOT EXIST. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)