NCJ Number
65800
Date Published
1979
Length
150 pages
Annotation
CRIMINAL CAREERS OF 'PERSISTENT' ROBBERS AND BURGLARS WERE EXAMINED TO TEST THE VALIDITY OF THE EMERGING CONCEPT THAT PROFESSIONAL CRIMINALS ARE UNSKILLED GENERALISTS RATHER THAN SPECIALISTS.
Abstract
ALTHOUGH IT HAS BEEN ASSUMED THAT MANY CRIMINALS ENGAGE IN BOTH BURGLARY AND ROBBERY, EXISTING RESEARCH INDICATES THAT BURGLARS AND ROBBERS ARE QUITE DISSIMILAR. A SAMPLE OF 10,359 INMATES WAS SELECTED FROM THE 1974 SURVEY OF INMATES OF STATE CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES. THE POPULATION WAS RESTRICTED TO MALE RECIDIVISTS INCARCERATED FOR ROBBERY OR BURGLARY WITH NO KNOWN HISTORY OF EITHER HEROIN ADDICTION OR SEX OFFENSES. OF THE TOTAL SAMPLE, 8,869 INMATES WERE INTERVIEWED DIRECTLY. ANALYSES OF THE DATA INVALIDATED THE GENERALIST THEORY AND FOUND THAT ROBBERS AND BURGLARS PURSUED VERY DIFFERENT TYPES OF CAREERS. THIS PATTERN WAS FURTHER SUBSTANTIATED BY THE USE OF DISCRIMINANT FUNCTION ANALYSIS INVOLVING DEMOGRAPHIC, CRIMINAL HISTORY, AND LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION VARIABLES. SINCE BLACKS WERE MORE ACTIVE IN ROBBERY AND WHITES IN BURGLARY, DISCRIMINANT ANALYSIS WAS PERFORMED FOR EACH RACE. THE RESULTS WERE SIMILAR, INDICATING DISTINCT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ROBBERS AND BURGLARS. THE SMALL PROPORTION OF THE SAMPLE WHO HAD COMMITTED BOTH BURGLARIES AND ROBBERIES SHOWED A CLOSER RESEMBLANCE TO BURGLARS, BUT TENDED TO SWITCH FROM BURGLARY TO ROBBERY. UNDERTAKING A CRIMINAL CAREER IN BURGLARY APPEARED TO BE SIMILAR TO LEARNING AND PRACTICING A SEMISKILLED TRADE, WHEREAS ROBBERY STEMMED MORE FROM FAILURE IN OTHER LEGITIMATE OR ILLEGAL ENDEAVORS. THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE INMATES STUDIED WERE EMPLOYED AT THE TIME OF ARREST, SUGGESTING THAT THEY WERE MOONLIGHTING IN CRIME RATHER THAN REGARDING IT AS A PRIMARY OCCUPATION. APPENDIXES INCLUDE A DESCRIPTION OF DISCRIMINANT FUNCTION ANALYSIS, NOTES ON METHODOLOGY, AND DATA ON INMATES WHO WERE NONWORKERS. FOOTNOTES AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--MJM)