NCJ Number
97904
Date Published
1984
Length
22 pages
Annotation
Property crime is defined as any criminal behavior which damages property or transfers possession of property, regardless of whether that behavior involves the threat or use of physical force.
Abstract
Data are presented to illustrate the prevalence of major property crimes in the United States in 1982. More than 1.2 million households, or 7 of every 1,000 households, were victimized by robbers in 1982. The occasional property offense occurred when there was an opportunity or a situational inducement to commit the crime. Theoretical explanations of occasional property offenses suggest that the rate of occasional property crime varies with the rate at which situational inducements occur. Differential association theories and social control theories are offered as background for social psychological explanations of criminal behavior. It is noted that the public's reaction to property crimes is reflected in the reaction by law enforcement agencies. Further studies on the sporadic and aberrant behavior of the occasional property offender are advised, particularly those focusing on the onset, persistence, and termination of occasional property crime. Tabular data, 5 notes, and 62 references are provided.